Japan’s Aplus Card Just Supercharged Loyalty Points—Now Swap Them for XRP, BTC & ETH

Move over, airline miles—crypto just hijacked the rewards game.

Aplus, Japan’s sleeper-hit payment card, now lets users liquidate points into three heavyweight digital assets. No more hoarding for toasters—just straight-shot conversions to XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum.

Why this stings traditional finance:

Banks spent decades locking points into walled gardens. Aplus just bulldozed the gates—and did it under the FSA’s nose. Suddenly, that 0.5% cashback looks like a relic.

The cynical twist:

Watch institutions scramble to ‘innovate’ now that retail can arbitrage their loyalty programs into real assets. Too little, too late—the genie’s out, and it’s HODLing.

Aplus users earn points from spending and get bonuses for higher usage

Every time someone spends 200 yen using an Aplus credit card, they earn one point. Anyone who spends 50,000 yen or more in a single month gets a bonus rate, an extra 0.5% in points. Those points stay active for two years after they’re earned, meaning customers don’t have to rush to redeem them.

The crypto integration doesn’t change any of that. It adds one more choice to what people can do with their points. While it might not sound like much, this opens the door for users who’ve never touched crypto before. It doesn’t require them to study blockchain, open a special wallet, or buy crypto directly. They just spend as usual, earn points, and redeem when they’re ready.

People can redeem points for XRP, Bitcoin, or Ether by logging in to either the Aplus portal or their account on SBI VC Trade.

And even though the crypto is earned through points instead of cash, that doesn’t mean there’s no oversight, as users are still bound by the country’s crypto rules, including tax liabilities.

So, let’s say someone redeems their points for Bitcoin, and it goes up in value before they sell it, they will still owe taxes because that’s just how it works under Japanese law.

That means users must either keep the assets in SBI VC Trade or manually transfer them to a private wallet. It’s completely on them to handle custody and ensure their crypto is safe.

But it’s still uncertain whether people can redeem crypto every month or if there are limits, which will affect how much people use the system over time.

There’s also the issue of size. Getting 2,000 yen worth of crypto might not MOVE the needle for big investors, who say the amount is too small to attract serious users. But for people who are new to crypto or just curious, this setup could be the easiest way to start holding XRP, Bitcoin, or Ether without a lot of headaches.

Makoto Kobayashi, a senior manager at SBI VC Trade, explained that the goal is to offer a SAFE and simple entry point for people who’ve never owned crypto before. “Using reward points makes that possible, without asking them to risk cash or deal with exchanges.”

Still, clear communication is going to be key if this program’s going to grow. Aplus hasn’t released full guidelines yet, and that’s causing questions to pile up. Users want to know if they can redeem every month, if there’s a minimum balance, or if anything changes based on which crypto they pick.

Until those answers come out, some customers might hold off.

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