I purchased points during last November’s branch-change campaign. I still have 200,000 points left—what would happen to them if Universe went bankrupt due to the coronavirus? Would it be impossible to get a cash refund?

I’m Meg, a female member. Questioner, please forgive me for saying this, but— Have you read Representative Kida’s staff blog post dated April 3? They were the first to start online dates, and they’ve written some really interesting things. Please don’t say things like bankruptcy—it’s bad luck. I believe the captain of Universe would never abandon either the staff or the members.

I’m Joe, a column writer. At this point, you might as well use them. As you know, online dating is an option. If you’re a Black member, you can make an offer to four people at the Black rate and get 200,000 points. Plus, since there’s a time limit, even four people can be done in just two hours. Time is money, after all. Joe is also trying online dating for the first time next week. I’m planning to use up all the points I’ve accumulated through this and that by the end of next week.

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well. I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but even a company like Universe with annual sales exceeding ¥1.4 billion could potentially go bankrupt. That said, everything is perfectly fine for now. Electronic money is protected under Japan’s Payment Services Act, so even if the issuer goes bankrupt, half of the balance will be refunded. Put another way, though, you could also say that only half would come back. It’s also unsettling to think about whether your deposits would be returned if a bank went bankrupt. That naturally raises the question of whether money itself—for example, Bank of Japan notes—can really be trusted. Could Japan go bankrupt? As long as everyone believes it won’t, things will be fine. But if everyone starts thinking that Japan is finished, the Japanese yen will become nothing more than scrap paper. The more you think about it, the more risks you find everywhere. Universe points are no different. If the company went bankrupt, I don’t think the points would be returned. It’s a good idea to think about ways to reduce your risk. If you don’t trust the Japanese yen, holding your assets in gold is one possible option. Think things through and choose the approach you feel comfortable with.

I’m Saito, a column writer♪ Since the points aren’t cash, I don’t think they’ll be refunded. So if you’re worried, I recommend using them sooner rather than later.

I’m date◎yume, a male member. If Universe were to go bankrupt, I don’t think the points you’ve already purchased would be refunded in cash. I don’t expect Universe to go bankrupt, but if you’re concerned about the possibility, I think it would be best to use your points sooner rather than later. It seems that not only Universe, but also women involved in papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), as well as people in the food service and hospitality industries, are facing difficult circumstances. If we can help support them even a little, I feel that would also be a contribution to society.