fivot

fivot operates IDARE (イデア), a Japanese mobile application combining a Visa prepaid card with savings-oriented features. Users register through the app with a phone number and password plus an SMS verification code, and can then load funds, spend at Visa merchants in Japan and abroad, and view transaction history immediately. Both virtual cards (online payments only) and physical real cards (online and in-store) are supported, with 3-D Secure 2.0 enabled on both without requiring password setup. Issuance of a real card generally costs JPY 900; other use of the service is described as free of fees.

The product's core mechanic is a bonus paid on stored balance. Bonuses are currently granted monthly at a pro-rated amount equivalent to an annual rate of 2%, calculated on the monthly average balance, with balances previously converted from bonuses excluded from the eligible base. A tiered program, IDARE Rank, assigns users a rank based on average balance and varies benefits such as the bonus rate and the overseas transaction fee rate, taking the maximum advertised rate to 2.2% annually. Additional features include automatic recurring deposits (daily, weekly or monthly), manual deposits, "box" sub-accounts for managing multiple savings goals, an immediate 1% bonus on deposits made by transfer to a designated account, campaign bonuses, and fee-free peer-to-peer transfers to users found via ID search or QR code, subject to limits. Completing identity verification changes the card number, raises limits, and unlocks real card issuance and funding by credit card.

IDARE is registered with Japan's Financial Services Agency as a third-party type prepaid payment instrument issuer (Kanto Local Finance Bureau No. 00738), deposits at least 50% of customer funds as a statutory issuance guarantee with the Legal Affairs Bureau so that users have priority claim in the event of insolvency, and states compliance with the PCI DSS card data security standard.

Business model

The service is offered directly to consumers at no usage fee, with revenue described as coming from merchant payment processing fees earned when users spend their balance, supplemented by returns generated from deploying part of the surplus customer funds in the company's other businesses; those revenues fund the balance bonus. A one-time charge of JPY 900 generally applies to physical card issuance.

Merchant acquiring/payment fees on card spending, income from other business use of surplus funds, and a JPY 900 fee for real card issuance.

Latest developments

In April 2026 the company ran a fifth-anniversary campaign offering 10,000 yen worth of bonus points, and on 1 June 2026 it announced IDARE Rank, a balance-tiered program raising the maximum bonus to an annual rate of 2.2%. Docomo-sponsored d Point exchange campaigns offering up to a 15% point bonus ran during 2026, alongside a new-registration campaign through 31 August 2026.