Luxury Card Mastercard Black Card in Japan - Fee, the 2027 Increase and Benefits

Luxury Card is a card brand founded in the United States in 2008. It began issuing in Japan in 2016 and reaches its tenth anniversary there in November 2026. The official site describes it as the first metal credit card in Japan to adopt Mastercard's top tier, World Elite. Cards are issued through Aplus Co., Ltd. (SBI Shinsei Bank group).

This article looks at the Mastercard Black Card (the Black Card below). The point to watch is the annual fee. It is 110,000 yen (tax included) today, but the official site announces that from January 2027 it will be revised to 150,000 yen (tax included). This article asks whether the card earns its fee under both amounts.

What to know before you apply

The higher the fee, the more the conditions matter. Start with them.

The annual fee rises from January 2027

According to the "Notice of annual fee revision" on the official site (dated October 5, 2026), the Black Card's fee changes as follows.

For new applicants, the new fee applies to applications from January 1, 2027. For current members, the new fee applies progressively from fee billings in February 2027. In other words, someone who applies in 2026 pays 110,000 yen at joining, but should expect 150,000 yen to be billed at later renewals. This article calculates with both amounts.

A high return still needs high spending

The return is 1.25%, according to the official site. But recovering the fee through points takes substantial spending, as the calculation below shows.

Only family members get a free first year

The specification on the official page says that the first year is free for family members only. The main member's fee is due from the first year.

Some details are visible only after joining

The page says the service descriptions are summaries, that conditions apply, and that details can be checked in Luxury Card Online after joining. Participating restaurants and numbers of uses may change after you join.

How much comes back in points

The central value of the Black Card is its high return. First, can points alone recover the fee? The calculation uses figures from the official page.

Points are 2 per 200 yen, plus 1 more for every 400 yen on the statement. Cash back is one yen per point. So 200 yen earns 2 yen (1%) and 400 yen adds 1 yen (0.25%), for a total of 1.25%.

To recover today's 110,000 yen from points alone takes 8,800,000 yen of spending a year (110,000 divided by 1.25%). For the revised 150,000 yen, it takes 12,000,000 yen. This is the figure for cash back at one yen per point. If you exchange for miles, the rate is the equivalent of 0.75 miles per 100 yen.

What this shows is that the Black Card favors people who spend a lot. Someone who spends 1,000,000 yen a month reaches 12,000,000 yen a year, and points alone cover the fee. The other privileges come on top.

The official comparison is against "other companies"

The official page shows a comparison for 12,000,000 yen a year (1,000,000 yen a month). The Black Card's total points awarded a year are 169,500, against 122,400 for another company's card. The comparison includes assumed spending on mobile Suica and utilities. The page notes that it is an example based on information as of June 2026, and a comparison with cards of an equivalent annual fee. Recalculate with your own spending and payees.

The build of the card and the brand's background

The defining feature of Luxury Card is that its cards are metal. The Black Card has a stainless steel front and a carbon back and contains no plastic, the page says. It has a matte black finish and is known for durability and weight. The top-tier "World Elite" logo is engraved, and a chip one size smaller than usual is used. The card number and name are printed on the back.

The brand was founded in the United States in 2008 and began issuing in Japan in 2016. The official site says that it kept the annual fee unchanged for ten years while expanding privileges. As its reason for the 2027 revision, it says it will speed up investment in products, services and the brand experience as a whole.

A card with the same name exists in the United States. But the fee and privileges differ by country, so read this article as a separate card from the American one covered elsewhere on this site.

Travel benefits

Travel benefits are a major pillar of the Black Card.

Priority Pass

Airport lounges at more than 1,900 locations in more than 600 cities across 148 countries and regions are free to use. According to the official page, family members are free too, and there is no limit on visits. Guests are 35 US dollars each.

Domestic lounges and baggage delivery

At major domestic airports, lounges are free with one guest. Baggage on departure and return from international flights is delivered free, up to three pieces. Cardboard boxes, suitcases and golf bags within the set size are included.

Hotel privileges

At more than 5,000 participating hotels worldwide, benefits include member-only prices and priority booking, room upgrades, breakfast for up to two, early check-in, late check-out, a welcome gift and a hotel credit worth 100 US dollars. The page says the average value is about 70,000 yen per stay. That figure is an average based on 2025 stays of three nights, and actual value varies by property, room rate, availability of upgrades and use of benefits.

Status match

The top page says members are invited free of charge to upper tiers of programs such as Tokyu Hotels, HoteLux and MSC Cruises.

Dining privileges

Dining has items particular to the Black Card.

• Luxury Dining: at about 40 restaurants nationwide, a set course is free for three people when up to six book.
• About 250 restaurants: one person's course is free when two book.
• Luxury Limousine: a one-way chauffeur-driven car is free when you book a participating restaurant.
• Lounge Hour: Luxury Card exclusive menus at high-end hotel bars and members' lounges.

For people who often host large dinners, a benefit that frees three places for six guests is large enough to change how the fee is viewed. If a course costs 20,000 yen per person and six people book, 60,000 yen is free. This is an assumption. Check real restaurants and prices at booking.

Concierge

The Black Card's concierge can also be used over LINE chat, which is unusual. It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by phone and email as well. The phone is said to connect directly to an agent without automated voice. Examples given include finding and booking a restaurant, choosing a gift, and arranging a hotel for a sudden business trip.

Lifestyle privileges

At cinemas, up to two "Movie GIFT" tickets are provided each month. At national art museums, collection and special exhibitions are free for a member and one guest, on Fridays only. Luxury Wellness gives special terms at saunas, gyms, massage, clinics and hotel spas that usually require high entry or monthly fees.

Protection

The Black Card's protection is as follows.

• Overseas travel accident insurance: up to 120 million yen for death and permanent disability, automatically attached. Domestic travel insurance is also attached.
• Shopping insurance: covers damage or theft within 90 days of purchase, up to 3 million yen a year.
• Fraud compensation: all or part of the loss.

Business owners and sole proprietors

The Black Card also has a card for business payments. It allows payments up to 99.9 million yen, and points accrue at the same rate as for shopping. The page says the annual fee can be booked as an expense. It links with accounting software such as Yayoi and Money Forward, and payment can be deferred by up to 53 days. The same privileges as the personal card are available. For businesses that pay large costs such as advertising by card, the design makes it easier to recover the fee in points.

Basic information

The annual fee is currently 110,000 yen for the main member and 27,500 yen for a family member (tax included). Only for family members, the first year is free. ETC cards and family cards are available as added cards. Applicants must be 20 or over, and students are not eligible. The page says issue takes as little as five business days.

Payment closes on the 5th and is due on the 27th of the same month. Methods are one payment next month, revolving, bonus lump sum and instalments by number of payments. The brand is Mastercard. Smartphone payment works with Apple Pay, QUICPay, mobile Suica, PASMO, mobile ICOCA, d Barai, Rakuten Pay, au PAY and Google Pay.

Different kinds of users

The result depends on how you use the card. Three scenes follow, all assumptions.

Someone who puts almost 1,000,000 yen a month on the card

A person who reaches 12,000,000 yen a year covers the revised 150,000 yen fee with points alone. The privileges add to that.

Someone who travels a lot for work or leisure

Priority Pass has no visit cap and is free for family members. The hotel privileges and free baggage delivery on international flights are worth more the more you travel.

Someone who hosts business dinners

The benefit that frees three places for six guests helps most when you use it often. The concierge can also book the restaurant.

First steps after joining

Many benefits are lost unless you plan their use.

1. Check the privilege details in Luxury Card Online. The official page asks you to do so after joining.
2. Register for Priority Pass. Family members can register free too.
3. Set up the LINE concierge. It is also available by phone and email, 24 hours a day.
4. Check your fee billing month. It is the second month after the month shown in the expiry date "month/year" on the back of the card.

Comparing with other black cards

The design differs from invitation-only cards and from points-focused cards. Set it beside the other cards on this site and see which matches your life.

Reviewing it every year

Because the fee changes in 2027, it matters even more at each renewal to check that your use still justifies it. Write down your annual spending, the points earned, and the benefits you used and did not use, and compare with the fee. If spending does not reach 12,000,000 yen a year, points alone will not cover the fee, and the decision rests on the value of the privileges.

Who the card suits

The Black Card is a metal card combining a 1.25% return, Priority Pass with no visit cap, a concierge that also works on LINE, and a dining benefit that frees three places for six guests. The annual fee is 110,000 yen today and will be 150,000 yen from January 2027.

Three checks help the decision:

1. Does your annual spending reach 12,000,000 yen? If not, can the other privileges recover the fee?
2. Do you have occasions to use the lounges, hotel and dining privileges?
3. Would you still want the card if the fee were 150,000 yen?

If you can answer yes to two or more, you can use the fee well. If your spending is small and you would not use the privileges, compare cards with lower fees before you decide.