Get a 5% rebate on top of gifts with Furusato Nozei (especially for Amazon users)
2018 is coming to an end. A lot has happened, hasn't it?
Now that it's early December, I think there are quite a few people looking for last-minute Furusato Nozei opportunities.
This article describes a method of Furusato Nozei that is particularly beneficial for Amazon users.
You can get about 5% point rebate in addition to the gifts.
Brief explanation
I'll proceed on the premise of using Furusato Premium. Why? Because we're Amazon users. I'll explain the detailed reasons later.
By following these simple steps, for a donation of 10,000 yen, you'll get 500 yen or more (=5%+) rebate in addition to the gifts.
Note that I'm assuming both the cashback site and credit card points are 1%.
- Access Furusato Premium through a cashback site
- Make the payment with a credit card that accumulates points
Detailed explanation
Use a cashback site (1%~)
There are several offers for Furusato Premium, so you can use any cashback site you like.
Some seem to offer up to 3%.
I chose Hapitas. It seems a bit disadvantageous with a fixed 128 yen per donation, but I've been using it for a long time, so it's a balance of convenience.
Use Furusato Premium (3%)
For a limited time in December, you'll get a 3% Amazon gift card rebate.
If, hypothetically, just in case, a 40% Amazon gift card is sent as a gift, you'd get 43% Amazon gift card and 2%+ other points. This is just a hypothesis, of course.
On a side note, due to the announcement that "the value of gifts should be kept below 30% of the donation amount", which feels very much like an afterthought, the return rate of Furusato Nozei has been decreasing. Of course, local governments with low tax revenues can't accept this, so some are offering high-return gifts as a form of resistance (quietly?). These dark gifts are often only available on limited sites, and sometimes only on weekends.
As of December 2018, Wowma has the highest cashback rate from cashback sites. As it's a late entrant, there aren't many affiliated local governments yet, but if you find a gift you like, go for it.
Credit card point rebate (1%~)
This is basic, it's the point rebate when paying by credit card.
Use your favorite card.
The rebate rates vary, so I'm considering it as 1%.
Note that Kyash is not eligible for cashback on Furusato Nozei, so I couldn't get an additional 2%. That's unfortunate.
Points to note
- It takes 2 months to receive the Amazon gift card
Summary
While not doing anything particularly special, I was able to get an additional 5% or more rebate.
This is especially effective for Furusato Nozei, which tends to involve large amounts.
I considered if I could get more with Paypay or Kyash, but I couldn't find a good route.
Cash conversion seems to be properly addressed.
