Year-end/New Year x point activity: the core is turning the spending you're already planning into cashback via routing + sales + card payment

Year-end and New Year is when spending concentrates — that's exactly why planning comes first

The most common mistake in year-end and New Year point activity is starting by looking for "which lucky bag or New Year sale is cheapest." But that's not the real substance of year-end point activity. Cleaning supplies for the big year-end clean, osechi, New Year cards, travel-home transport and lodging, year-end gifts — turning the year-end/New Year spending you'd pay anyway into cashback through routing + sales + card payment is the real substance.

These are planned expenses that occur every year without fail. Simply fixing how you buy turns into a sizeable cashback total. Build that foundation, then stack New Year sales, lucky bags, and otoshidama top-ups on top as a bonus — that ordering is the correct design for year-end point activity. Also, from Black Friday (BF) in November through the New Year sales in January, it's a period of back-to-back major sales, with routing rates and sale discounts varying drastically by timing. Without planning ahead which category to buy when and where, you'll just be swept along by sales and end up with unnecessary spending.

This article organizes year-end/New Year point activity across four axes: "cashback by category," "BF-to-New-Year-sale timeline," "the correct understanding of furusato nozei," and "how to approach New Year sales and lucky bags." Take home the framework for solidifying your planned-spending cashback foundation first, then layering lucky bags and New Year sales on top.

Timeline design: BF through year-end through New Year sales

The "back-to-back major sales period" of year-end/New Year begins with Black Friday in November, continues through the year-end Christmas sales, spans New Year's Eve, and runs through January's New Year sales. Each sale has a different character, so it's important to decide in advance which category to buy at which timing.

Buy at BF or wait for year-end sales? The answer depends on the category. Electronics and PC accessories tend to be strong at BF; New Year card printing works best with early-December discounts. For osechi, "securing a slot" takes priority over sales. See the Black Friday edition for details on timeline design.

The year-end/new-year run of consecutive sales is, seen over the whole year, just one of the "biggest peaks." Grasping the timing of large expenses and sales throughout the year, not just at year-end, sharply reduces misses. For example, the summer-bonus period, the new-life season (spring), and the big sales of each EC — every season has a peak where you can reward-ize "expenses you're going to pay anyway" through routing, sales, and reward payments. Positioning the year-end design as part of an annual calendar lets you act without hesitation at the same time next year too. For the year-round peaks and sequencing of points play, see the annual points calendar, and grasp the year-end timeline within an annual design.

Five major year-end/New Year categories — how to capture cashback

Year-end/New Year spending falls into five broad categories. Each has its own approach, timing, and pitfalls for cashback.

① Year-end cleaning supplies and daily goods bulk buying

The year-end big clean drives demand for detergents, garbage bags, cleaning tools, and other consumables. Ordering these in bulk through EC routing alone turns them into cashback — it's the "basic form" of point activity. Timing your bulk buy with BF lets you stack sale discounts on top of routing cashback. The fact that consumables don't take up space even in large quantities is one of their strengths.

② Ordering osechi via EC

Osechi is one of the "high-unit-price deals" in year-end/New Year point activity. Department store osechi sets and famous-restaurant-supervised products can cost tens of thousands of yen. Online osechi orders are easy to combine with early-reservation discounts and routing cashback, and to avoid the risk of not having osechi for New Year, the ironclad rule is to order by early-to-mid December. Delivery delays from year-end logistics congestion would be disastrous. For EC routing and how to choose osechi, see the osechi edition.

③ Using New Year card printing services

Ordering New Year cards through a printing service via EC routing can earn a few hundred to a few thousand yen in cashback per order. Printing services have "early-bird discounts" in early-to-mid December, with higher discount rates the earlier you order. Once January arrives, early-bird deals end, and delivery delays can mean cards arrive too late. The optimal approach is to place the order with routing by early December. See the New Year card and postcard printing edition for EC routing and service comparisons.

④ Travel-home transport and lodging

Traveling home is one of the highest-unit-price categories of year-end/New Year spending. Routing transport and lodging through a travel booking site earns a few hundred to a few thousand yen in cashback. Year-end/New Year shinkansen, flights, and hotels sell out early, so the ideal approach is to book early while securing routing cashback. The higher unit prices of peak-season travel in New Year's amplify the effect of routing. See the travel booking site edition for routing comparisons.

⑤ Year-end gifts, presents, and otoshidama charges

Bulk-ordering year-end gifts through EC routing is the standard approach. After mid-December, delivery gets congested, so aim to place your routed order by early December. Also, giving otoshidama (New Year's money) via digital money or point charges is increasingly common, and using routing deals for top-up transactions adds a small but steady layer of cashback.

Payments in these five major categories, whichever it is, become a "triple take" when you consolidate onto a high-reward-rate credit card — adding a payment reward on top of the routing reward and sale discount. Cleaning supplies, osechi, New Year's cards, travel and lodging for going home, and year-end gifts all tend to be sizable amounts, and simply gathering the same payments onto one high-reward card changes the return. Year-end is also when card-issuer campaigns increase, and an advantage is that you can meet a newly issued card's usage conditions with year-end big payments. For which card suits your payment pattern, and comparisons of reward rates and annual fees, see the card ranking guide, and assemble the three layers of "routing + sale + card payment" each time to prevent misses.

Furusato nozei: the correct understanding of the year-end last dash

The year-end deadline for furusato nozei is December 31 each year. To receive a tax deduction for that year's income, you must complete your donation by December 31. A last-dash year-end donation is a valid way to benefit from both the tax deduction and the return gift.

However, since October 2025, point cashback for furusato nozei has been significantly restricted. Both point site routing cashback accumulation and portal-site unique points (Rakuten furusato nozei, Furusato Choice, etc.) are prohibited. The "double/triple point stacking" of old is no longer possible. What remains valid is the "return gift as in-kind cashback" and "the income/resident tax deduction from the following year onward."

The correct way to use the year-end last dash is to treat the return gift and tax deduction as the main goals. Expecting points will lead to disappointment. Rushing at the last minute risks running into sold-out return gifts and missing the one-stop exemption application deadline, so the ideal is to complete it with margin around December 20. See the furusato nozei edition for deduction limit calculations and return gift selection.

How to approach New Year sales and lucky bags — and the traps

January's New Year sales and lucky bags are the "bonus" portion of year-end/New Year point activity. They're meant to be added on within your remaining budget, after the foundation (turning planned spending into cashback) is already in place. Treating them as the "main thing" means buying things you don't need and spending more than you earn in cashback.

EC New Year sales are often eligible for point site routing cashback, so simply routing through earns you extra. Department store online stores, fashion brand sites, and electronics retailer EC stores are particularly effective. However, routing rules may change during the New Year sale period, so check the latest routing information on Pointnavi on the day before buying.

• Choose lucky bags where you can confirm the contents: In recent years, EC and brand official sites have increasingly offered "revealed lucky bags" with contents disclosed in advance. A mystery lucky bag full of things you won't use is worse than no cashback — it's a net negative.
• Compare the total retail value to the sale price: The "value" of a lucky bag comes from the gap between the contents' total retail value and the sale price. Calculate your actual cost after cashback before deciding.
• Don't return impulse purchases: Buying in the excitement of the New Year sale then returning it voids the routing points. Decide calmly whether you'll truly use it before purchasing.
• Otoshidama charge top-ups: Giving otoshidama via digital money or points may be eligible for routing deals on top-ups. A small amount, but making it a New Year habit compounds over time.

See the lucky bags and New Year sales edition for routing deals and store comparisons.

Precisely because New Year's sales and lucky bags get the mood up, deciding the upper limit of the budget for "extras" first is the trick to preventing impulse buys. At year-end, just the planned expenses (osechi, going home, New Year's cards, etc.) are already large, so going in without deciding how much to spend on lucky bags and New Year's sales tends to swell spending beyond the reward. Managing the year-end budget by category in a budgeting app lets you grasp "the base expenses" and "the extra lucky bags and sales" separately, and objectively check whether you've overspent. Linking credit cards and payments auto-tallies New Year's sale payments too, making the new-year review easier. For how to choose a budgeting app and linking tips, see the budgeting app guide, and enjoy lucky bags and New Year's sales within your budget.

Action steps: November through January to-do list

1. [Mid–late November] Stock up on cleaning supplies, electronics, daily goods at BFPick up year-end consumables and appliances at BF. Major EC routing rates tend to rise during BF — compare in the BF edition before buying. Often more rewarding than a last-minute year-end purchase.
2. [Early December] Order osechi, New Year cards, and year-end giftsOrder osechi before delivery slots fill up. Order New Year card printing during early-bird discount season (early December). Year-end gifts get congested after mid-December. Check routing options in the osechi edition and New Year card edition.
3. [Early–mid December] Book travel-home transport and lodgingYear-end/New Year shinkansen, flights, and hotels sell out early. Book via a travel booking site to secure routing cashback. Compare in the travel booking edition.
4. [Around December 20] Complete furusato nozeiWithin-year deduction is for donations by Dec 31. But accounting for the one-stop exemption return deadline and out-of-stock risks, ideally complete with margin around December 20. Point site routing cashback is prohibited since October 2025, so accept it as a return gift + deduction deal. Furusato nozei edition.
5. [January 1 – first few days] New Year sales and lucky bags via routingEC New Year sales are mostly routing-cashback eligible. Check routing deals on Pointnavi on the day and route before purchasing. For lucky bags, confirm contents and retail value equivalent before deciding. Lucky bags edition.
6. [Mid–late January] Consolidate points and manage expiryYear-end/New Year generates points across multiple EC sites and travel sites. Consolidate to your main economy and make a plan to use them before they expire. Point forfeiture prevention edition.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Regretting at year-end "I should have bought at BF": BF is the prime window for cleaning supplies and electronics. Rushing to buy at year-end often means lower routing rates too. Design a BF-through-year-end category timeline in advance.
• Forgetting to order osechi and New Year cards, then delivery doesn't make it: Year-end/New Year logistics are congested. Osechi by early December, New Year card printing during early-bird season (early December) — these are iron rules. Check routing and "when will it arrive" at the same time.
• Expecting point cashback from furusato nozei: Since October 2025, both point site routing and portal unique points are prohibited. The return gift and tax deduction are the substance. Choosing donation destinations based on point expectations will disappoint.
• Booking travel home too late and losing routing options: Popular routes and dates fill up early as year-end approaches. Starting to look after everything is sold out leaves no routing options either. Early booking and routing confirmation must be done together.
• Returning a lucky-bag impulse buy and getting points voided: The classic case of "I thought I'd get routing points but they weren't credited." Confirm contents before buying and only purchase things you won't return.
• Forgetting about year-end/New Year points and letting them expire: Points scattered across multiple EC sites expire without notice. After receiving points, immediately check expiry dates and plan to consolidate to your main economy.

Mini glossary — key terms for year-end/New Year point activity

Knowing the terms around the "sale season" and "delivery and schemes" is all you need to avoid overspending and delivery mishaps while still capturing cashback. Run through these before you start.

With these terms in hand, before asking "where is cheapest," you can build the framework of "turning year-end/New Year spending you'd pay anyway into cashback through routing + sales + cashback payments." Count back from the delivery date and order/book early, accept furusato nozei purely as return gift + deduction without expecting points, and treat lucky bags and New Year sales as a bonus within your remaining budget — that is the correct design for year-end/New Year point activity. Check routing deals on Pointnavi.

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