A gold card is something that many people aspire to own someday. In addition to the status, there are also great practical benefits, such as being able to use airport lounges for free and getting one course meal at a restaurant for free. It used to be a symbol of the wealthy, but now it has become much more affordable, from cheap ones for people in their 20s to ones where annual membership fees are waived forever if you meet certain conditions. However, it is true that the screening hurdles are higher than for regular cards. Here, let’s take a deep dive into the “reality” behind the screening and the reasons why people fail the screening.

**[Myth and reality] Does annual income really have to be high? ** It was a long time ago that you could only apply if you had an annual income of 5 million yen or more and worked for a listed company. Nowadays, there are an increasing number of cases in which gold cards can be issued to office workers with an annual income of around 3 million yen or temporary workers with a stable income. What credit card companies place more emphasis on when screening is whether you have a steady income and are reliable enough to repay your money, rather than your absolute annual income.

Why do I fail the examination? Three surprising reasons

1. Problems or blank credit history If you have ever been late in paying in installments on your smartphone or on a credit card from another company, even by a few days, a record will be left in the credit information agency, which will be fatal to your credit card review. Conversely, if you are in your 30s and have never opened a credit card or taken out a loan (known as being super white), the system will warn you that you may have filed for bankruptcy in the past and your records have just been erased.
2. “Multiple applications” in a short period of time If a person applies for three or four cards in a short period of about a month because they are worried about whether they will pass the examination or because they want points from a campaign, it is assumed that the person is currently in a dangerous situation where they are in dire need of money and have turned to cycling. This is called a “black application” and will definitely cause your application to be rejected.
3. The desired amount for the cash advance (borrowing line) is too high If you apply with high hopes for a ``cash advance limit,’’ which allows you to borrow cash from an ATM rather than a limit for shopping, you will also be bound by the Money Lending Business Act, and the hurdles for screening will skyrocket. If you have no plans to use cash advances, the golden rule for passing the screening is to apply with a desired amount of 0 yen (or the minimum amount).

A gold card can be obtained by accumulating a daily and honest payment history. First of all, the shortest way is to make regular payments every month using your current regular card and build up a track record of being able to withdraw money on time (so-called card training).