Easier travels: Tokyo’s 3 train lines accept contactless card payment

[@Nainara32]

Not sure how much value it will be until they broaden it to the Yamanote line and the rest of the metro. Travelers will still need an IC card for things to be convenient.

[@solid477]

Unlikely JR will do anything. They lean more in the "Ain't broke don't fix it" group. It would be a pleasant surprise if they did

[@702TifosiGambler]

Yamanote is primarily for tourist, us locals use every line but Yamanote. There’s no surprise it was rolled out on lines used by locals, the last thing stations need is this malfunctioning on already overcrowded Yamanote exits at Shibuya, Shinagawa, Akihabara, Tokyo etc

[@shawnbell6392]

Point taken but there is still a lot of value in being able to get from Haneda into Tokyo without getting an IC card until later. When I was arriving at Haneda last month there was a wait to get Welcome Suica but part of that was the line and part of it was idiots taking selfies at one machine and one tour guide buying multiple cards at the other.

[@najstephy5565]

YEAHHYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! about time. Now for it to be rolled out Country wide.

[@user-sf5bt8eb4y]

not very much convenient until all the lines and trains accept the same payment method. as a tourist, how do i know if this line accepts the contactless payment or not?

[@solid477]

It's mostly to reduce congestion at the airport for tourists waiting to get a SUICA. I would still recommend tourists to get an IC card anywhere

[@lautrufend]

Agreed, and having an IC card is still a huge benefit for buying stuff at many restaurants, vending machines, and convenience stores. I found the ability to create and reload a Suica card in Apple Wallet to be very convenient.

[@ShadowNerd92]

Sounds like its a quick way to get out of the airport then grab an IC at any of the stations and continue on that way?

[@shawnbell6392]

You know what line accepts this because it is limited to Keikyu and Toei lines. Combine that with some old school research about the stops on the line you need and you are good. Anyone with an iPhone can download the Suica app in advance and anyone needing a Welcome Suica card can get one by their next morning at any place where the aforementioned private lines intersect with a JR station that sells the Welcome Suica. Travel involves some work, its not like it is portrayed on social media.

[@user-sf5bt8eb4y]

@@shawnbell6392you expect all non residents to know which stations are on those lines? Are you delusional? Ofcourse you can say “search up the lines online” well that’s an additional unwelcome complication to the already complicated travel plans isn’t it? As a tourist, I would rather not use it at all and add additional headache. Just use suica and it’s accepted everywhere. Hence this solution is useless

[@SK-lt1so]

Still can't use Google Pay, Apple Pay reliably in Fukuoka. London you can tap everywhere.

[@phunk8607]

Same as Singapore and Sydney

[@kingcoong]

@@phunk8607Too bad Singapore charges 60 cents per day if you use international card. This is also applied to travel money cards. Ez link is still a way to go

[@knkweb]

You can use Apple Pay in Tokyo and Osaka.

[@tony757]

You can add Suica and others to Apple Pay

[@ernestkj]

that's a great start! no more refilling credits at the station! just tap and go!

[@h4m74ro]

Some IC cards can also be auto-filled.

[@ernestkj]

@@h4m74ro well.. if u don't need another app to control whatever value or the need to top up, it will be much much easier for travelers.

[@agentbananauk]

I tried it once and the barrier didn't work to exit so had to line up and get someone to sort it out manually. Will probably be good in 3 years time when all stations have it and it works. London had this over 10 years ago and it was launched in every train station and bus at the same time and it worked without issues. Not sure why they have to have two seperate readers for the different cards - other places like london it's all one reader.

[@nekko_n]

The answer is that Suica and Contactless are designed as completely separate systems. At this stage, they are in the testing stage and are not yet in the phase of updating ticket gates. Incidentally, there is a big difference in payment speed between transportation IC cards such as Suica and Contactless, so Japanese people are not very happy about the introduction of this system.

[@MistSoalar]

Good. Though I love the speed of felica-based system, this is welcomed as well. Now we need JR to on board.

[@ostkkfmhtsh012345678]

JR companies accepting open loop would depend on what agreements reached between the rail and payment companies such as between #jreast and #Mastercard. Since #jreast owns #Suica unlike #ToeiTransportation owning any IC card systems of their own for example, and #jreast earn revenue from #Suica third-party transactions, paying every open-loop transaction to third parties such as #Mastercard and #Visa, even by a fraction of a percentage, is not something #jreast would agree to. Furthermore, as you know, #FeliCa-based #Suica is faster than #EMV-based #Mastercard, #Visa, and similar. Yet no transit agency such as #ToeiTransportation, #jreast, and more are incentivizing #EMV-based networks including #Visa and more to provide fast tap modes, at least one applet for ISO/IEC 14443 (e.g. #MIFARE DESFire/Plus, #Calypso) compliant terminals and one applet for JIS X 6319-4 (e.g. #FeliCa) compliant terminals, on every physical and digital #Contactless payment card issued.

[@liyuling1984]

Great news for first-time traveller!

[@ChristophS]

Does it accept international credit cards?

[@gtone339]

Yes by the looks of it

[@フリーターinフィリピン]

yes. they accept.

[@Nole2701]

So they can still figure out how far you travelled and adjust the fare accordingly?

[@abc-ku8rc]

Suica is quicker than it.

[@NANICU]

And what should a passenger do if they get off at a station without a credit card fare gate?

[@shawnhanatani5752]

Exactly what I was wondering...

[@eile4219]

You get charged thr max

[@702TifosiGambler]

Use IC, credit card payment is an alternative not a replacement for IC

[@shawnbell6392]

These are private lines, you have to use their exit gates at any station they stop at before either exiting the station or transferring to a Tokyo metro subway line.

[@internet.cookies8531]

But too bad it cannot accept mastercard 😢

[@dfhgghf-b2j]

nobody uses mastercard here

[@Greenaura101]

coz visa is widely available than mastercard

[@ikubarus.6966]

Get a visa card then

[@procast]

Just get a Visa. They are pretty much the same anyway as far as end-users are concerned.

[@maestrovso]

@@dfhgghf-b2j So Japan drinks only VISA koolaid? AmEx is too hip for me.

[@seanchen9265]

Nice, wise card holder should be very happy about this. We easily use our wise card in Singapore thou

[@Elegyofawesomeness]

That's great and all, but letting ppl reload suica with a card instead of cash would be great

[@mr.t2895]

We reload our mobile Suica card on our iPhone with credit cards and it works flawlessly 😊

[@user-sf5bt8eb4y]

you can already do that now, at least for Iphone users via applepay. way too easy

[@Elegyofawesomeness]

@mr.t2895 I'm android all the way, but my iPhone friends kept having tech difficulties with their digital suica. It would miss scan entry gates and we'd have to have an employee correct it. Over the course of 2 weeks this happened at least 7-8 times with 3 people. It got to the point where we'd all hold our breath, expecting it, when going thru an exit gate.

[@nekko_n]

​@@ElegyofawesomenessIt's more likely that it wasn't Suica's fault, but rather that the card was insufficient in balance or had not been touched properly.

[@kimmyksbro3116]

About time

[@Chingaez]

Please don't retiring SUICA?

[@schivver]

ofc not.

[@huskymp4754]

Of course they won't. Train stations aren't the only ones accepting suica as payment after all.

[@AtomcsiKK]

Current IC cards would be perfect if - they could be charged with a credit card too, not just cash, - Android users with non-Japanese phones were able to use them.

[@enzmondo]

Hopes this expands to the rest of Tokyo’s metro fast and then the rest of Japan’s metro systems. This will likely benefit mostly Holidays 2025 travellers.

[@billytsai3502]

Why can we use PayPay?

[@phunk8607]

About freakin time Japan

[@shawnbell6392]

I live in the US in a large city and my city does not have this and it would take a long time for it to be implemented even if it was being discussed. So, Japan is not behind and hasn't been regarding mass transit.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

This is awesome! I use most of my cash in Japan just refilling my IC. It's a pain in the butt converting to yen or withdrawing from ATM (next time will switch to a bank with no international fees).

[@sdgfsdfagsdfgdsfhsdfghd]

Just get a card with 0% international fees and double check how much cash they let you take out in the terms and conditions. I've been to Japan twice and getting the MasterCard foreign exchange rate with no fees is nice

[@chrischreative2245]

@@sdgfsdfagsdfgdsfhsdfghdYeah that’s the good thing about Capital One. no international fees when you use it.

[@nekko_n]

Use Apple PAY😉

[@orlandoracer407]

It's about time

[@techunboxed5641]

Is it a direct bank transaction, or the offline charge deduction thing

[@AtomcsiKK]

The first time there is an online authentication to check if the card is valid. After that, it registers station entries and exits, and in the next morning the central system makes a single purchase transaction with the sum cost of the day. Quite like in London.

[@neubro1448]

Still using IC cards. Don't fix what ain't broke. Not wanting to have that many tranactions and better for the companies not wanting to pay the processing fees money which leaves their country.

[@shawnhanatani5752]

I guess this is good news for foreigners ? For the locals its going to be much faster to just tap the watch/phone on the IC reader than getting out a credit card from the wallet each time going in/out of the station.

[@KarlBaron]

Also good for people who don't live in Tokyo and don't ride JR trains often, means you don't have to faff with charging up credit

[@shawnhanatani5752]

@@KarlBaron You mean good for people who live in the boonies 😆 which ends up being a pretty small minority given how the population is disproportionately spread out.

[@kraris777]

Until VISA decided to censor trains...... becouse reasons.

[@ostkkfmhtsh012345678]

At least for #ToeiTransportation who owns, operates, and maintains the #NipporiToneiLiner, they are not incentivizing the #EMV payment networks (e.g. #Visa, #Discover) accepted on #Toei lines, never mind forcefully, to add a fast tap mode for JIS X 6319-4 compliant terminals (e.g. #FeliCa) so processing is truly just as rapid as transit IC cards (e.g. #PASMO, PiTaPa). #Toei should really step up and change how open-loop ticketing is done for at least systems with at least one driverless transit mode behind gates with tap-out requirement at one station at least by requiring JIS X 6319-4 compliant fast tap modes with, for example, accepting #FeliCa systems such as #WAON, #iD, #QUICPay, #nanaco, #Edy, and more on the #NipporiToneriLiner.

[@SecretofDarknessCZ]

Am still gonna use IC card anyway :3

[@AngeloBenitto]

We need yamanote line too

[@DamienYuen7718]

Welcome to the modern world Japan. Many countries have had this for years.

[@Saroku1000]

Not quite modern since those credit card nfc chips are slower than the nfc chips IC cards use

[@TH-lu9du]

False. Japan adopted contactless payment around the year 2000. Look up Suica. This "news piece" is propaganda spread by credit card companies.

[@depbost]

Have you ever heard about FeliCa bro? Do you know who invented it??? 🤣🤣🤣

[@DamienYuen7718]

@@depbost Inventing something and implementing it for mass use are not the same bro.🤣🤣🤣

[@depbost]

@@DamienYuen7718 Japan has been using RFID electronic money card as public transport ticket for decades. When's the first time you visit Japan?

[@tkouy-i2h]

新しい決済方法に移行しようとしてるのかもしれないけど同時進行過ぎて改札機についてる読み取り機の種類多くて面白い。紙切符のあの高速読み取り技術が必要なくなるのは少し悲しい。 クレジットカードも結局は交通系ICのように早くないし、顔認証もサングラスやマスクつけてたりすると正確性落ちるし。でもお金がないときクレジットカード使えて助かるときもある。顔認証も赤ちゃんをおんぶしてる人とかには楽だろうし。 結局このゴツイ改札機は必要

[@ostkkfmhtsh012345678]

Regarding credit card open-loop ticketing, perhaps transit operators, at least operators with gates requiring tap-out and has at least one driverless transit mode behind gates at one station at least such as #ToeiTransportation, should forcefully mandate the #EMV networks accepted on their systems (e.g. #Visa, #Discover) to provide fast tap modes, at least one applet for ISO/IEC 14443 compliant terminals (e.g. #MIFARE Plus or DESFire, #Calypso) and one applet for JIS X 6319-4 compliant terminals (e.g. #FeliCa) on every physical and digital #Contactless card issued. In #ToeiTransportation's case, at least JIS X 6319-4 compliant fast tap mode be included in every open loop #Contactless card issued. Otherwise, non-compliant networks should lose open-loop acceptance on #Toei systems.

[@rodneyleong3787]

asa koo-sa? Thought it was asak-sa?

[@Starstreak170]

It is, this person clearly never studied basic Japanese pronunciation.

[@RalphCommins]

nice

[@ampur2]

if it cannot be faster, i dont think it can be used in peak hours, few milliseconds are precious and make a fukin differece

[@siestakun1279]

ICカードよりはタッチ速度遅いんだろうけど、いちいちsuicaとか作らなくて良くなるから海外観光客的には楽になりますね

[@ashman4827]

Only took a decade….

[@knkweb]

Many parts of South Korea and other regions in Asia still rely on older payment technologies, such as magnetic stripe or chip-and-PIN cards, for in-person transactions. While mobile payment systems like KakaoPay and QR codes are popular, the adoption of NFC-based contactless card technology has been slower. In contrast, Japan has been a pioneer in contactless card systems for decades, with widespread use of NFC technology integrated into daily life through cards like Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA, originally developed for transportation but now used for retail and more. This positions Japan as a leader in this area, maintaining its edge over countries still transitioning to newer payment technologies.

[@AzukiBuns]

I dump all my coins into my IC so it never bothers me. 😂 There is never a shortage of it when you are over there.

[@medicalwei]

I hope only few people use it, as it might stop people in line passing the gate using IC cards. Contactlesses are not as responsive to FeliCa IC cards.

[@EnglishImmersion-fu5ji]

Wait, this voice... It's way too familiar!🤣

[@백수-x7d]

진짜 느리다.. 저거 한국은 이미 10년전부터 하던거고 지하철 버스 환승할인도 이미 15년전부터 하던거.. 느려 느려

[@MrAdhiSuryana]

Excuse me, but I think nothing is more convenient than paying by waving hand 👋 😂

[@Lollipopz]

Japan is very late to the party but is a welcoming move. In singapore, we have been using contactless payment for public transport for years with supported banks credit or debit cards, although with Visa or Mastercard only with suppprt via Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay too.

[@abao]

sad, will there be regression in contactless tap times?

[@eilois]

Chinese use phone, it's outdated

[@kimothemo]

That’s pretty late for Japan standard. Malaysia has done it since 2018.

[@huseinahmads.2004]

China🤔?

[@knkweb]

China has it already.

[@knkweb]

Many parts of South Korea and other regions in Asia still rely on older payment technologies, such as magnetic stripe or chip-and-PIN cards, for in-person transactions. While mobile payment systems like KakaoPay and QR codes are popular, the adoption of NFC-based contactless card technology has been slower. In contrast, Japan has been a pioneer in contactless card systems for decades, with widespread use of NFC technology integrated into daily life through cards like Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA, originally developed for transportation but now used for retail and more. This positions Japan as a leader in this area, maintaining its edge over countries still transitioning to newer payment technologies.

[@spiderliliez]

Still can't trust it, actually using your credit card directly numerous times a day to ride a train is soooo sketchy. I'd rather use a separate card and keep my credit card safe.

[@SaberShirou]

Singapore has been using contactless payments for all their transport systems for many years already. True, there is a risk in using your credit card, but for millions of people commuting daily, it is the norm.

[@krissp8712]

This has been the norm in London for something like 6 years now.

[@PCs454]

that sounds like a you problem. contactless is way better

[@manojfernando1028]

terrific

[@ManachanJapan]

resident here since 2o14.tourists' behaviour is worse than before covid. i have enough.

[@Passions]

Blame everything on tourists.....RIGHT

[@ManachanJapan]

@@Passions do you live here? i think no. many foreign residents who know both eras, before covid and now, think so

[@Passions]

@@ManachanJapan In 2019, $1 USD was 109.01 yen. Today it is 157.30 yen. Due to weak Japanese economy, there's more tourists. With more tourists, you'll have more bad seeds. Your argument that tourist behavior is worse than pre-covid is not true, it's just simply there are more tourists. If 99% of tourists are respectful and nice and 1% are bad, and there are millions more visitors, that doesn't mean tourists behavior is worse than before. You are just seeing more tourists.

[@allanchung852]

​@@Passions By your calculations, it's also true that there are more ' bad tourists' appeared in Japan too due to the number of tourists while sharing the same %. Please listen to the locals and there's no point for them to lie. Residents pay their taxes for the city/ country and foreigners go and occupied for what locals paid for. Besides, services standards and the "Japanese" politeness are dropping severely too

[@Saroku1000]

​@@allanchung852 residents pay their taxes for their city in all other countries in the world too, and japanese people can travel there and use them too without paying taxes for it.

[@knkweb]

Japan is generally ahead of South Korea in adopting and using contactless card payment systems. This is largely due to Japan's early adoption of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology for payments through systems like Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA, initially developed for public transportation but later expanded to retail and other industries. Japan also integrates contactless payment systems with e-wallets and mobile apps, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, which support NFC-enabled cards. Many South Koreans rely more on QR codes and mobile apps for digital payments rather than physical contactless cards. That said, both countries have strong cashless payment systems, but Japan's long history with NFC-enabled contactless cards gives it a slight edge in this specific area.

[@gnnascarfan2410]

Japan: Stuck in the year 2000 since the 1980s. About time they adopted this measure! I love their country but it sucks how slow to change they've become since their economy crashed and stagnated in 1990.

[@Gorgor9651]

japan too outdated!

[@Phlegethon]

having to get a transit card in each city is a huge pain, at some point you don't even know which card is which

[@reyjusuf]

All cards are accepted in all cities

[@starsaber100]

It doesn’t really matter now as long they have the IC mark

[@Wingnut326]

Found the guy who has never been to Japan 😂

[@AtomcsiKK]

@@reyjusuf Except where they accept only two, or none.

[@reyjusuf]

@AtomcsiKK where?

[@Starstreak170]

How did Japan get so behind modern technology? China is kicking their ass.

[@Hkchinese888]

yes, the innovation of fake currency in chyna is leading the world as well,

[@Hkchinese888]

no surprise it's renowned as the land of scam mers.

[@Puoehlahxiik]

Is it really a modern technology when Japan has IC cards (from 1990s) which works much faster than contactless credit cards?

[@knkweb]

Actually still a few Asian places are behind Japan’s technology. Such as South Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam.

[@qawsedrftgyhujikolp1919]

Because China is just waiting for Japan to develop the technology. What does China pay for on the subway? For IC cards, it is Sony's FeliCa, and for QR codes, it is Denso's technology.😂😂😂

[@Nekoumaruu]

Is that really a good idea? letting 'anyone' with a credit card through.

[@SaberShirou]

@@Nekoumaruu anyone can buy a ticket, so what difference does it make?

[@huskymp4754]

What's your point?

[@DCSWCCkingpin1]

Why is your pronunciation of Japanese names so bad?

[@maestrovso]

Because most, even young college educated, Japanese are pathetic with English, so they have to hire Gaijin.

[@colo5220]

LOL, just walk through the gate without paying like the people in the NYC USA. LOL

[@foxtrot762]

Japan lives in 2006