JCB

JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) is a Tokyo-based global card network and issuer, founded in 1961 and the only major international card scheme headquartered in Asia. With 169 million cardholders and acceptance at 56 million merchants across more than 190 countries, it occupies a position comparable to Discover in terms of scale, with a distinctly Asian cardholder base concentrated in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, India, and broader Asia-Pacific.

For European merchants, JCB’s relevance is primarily as an inbound payment method from Asian tourists and business travellers. Japan in particular has one of the highest credit card usage rates globally, with JCB accounting for over 25% of domestic Japanese transactions. Merchants in travel, hospitality, luxury retail, duty-free, and premium consumer sectors in markets with significant Asian tourist traffic, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, and Portugal, have a commercially justifiable reason to accept JCB. Turning away a high-spending Asian cardholder because the scheme is not supported is a straightforward revenue loss.

In Europe, JCB operates through acquirer partnerships rather than proprietary acquiring infrastructure. In May 2025, JCB partnered with PayXpert to expand in-store acceptance across 19 European countries, with JCB enablement on POS terminals at no additional setup cost. J.P. Morgan Payments also offers JCB acceptance as part of its merchant acquiring suite. In the US, JCB is accepted via the Discover network, so merchants with US operations accepting Discover automatically extend acceptance to JCB cardholders.

JCB merchant fees are percentage-based per transaction, similar in structure to Amex and Diners Club, and typically higher than Visa and Mastercard. The exact rate depends on the acquirer, merchant category, and volume. As with Amex, the commercial case for acceptance depends on whether the incremental revenue from JCB-holding customers justifies the cost differential, which for the right merchant categories in high-tourist-traffic markets, it generally does.

PSP support for JCB is less universal than for Visa and Mastercard but is available through Adyen, J.P. Morgan, Worldpay, and a growing number of European acquirers.

Relevant markets: Global, with strongest cardholder base in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and broader Asia-Pacific