Thanks for your comment, Martin. I don't know when you'll come next year, but the situation may change when you arrive. I will post as much as possible.
So, are you saying that buying these cards is only useful because of cashless transactions? So, no price reduction as such?
if so there is nothing easier than going to your ticket machine pressing Eng -> choose your destination station, pay the required fare in coins and off you happily go !
Thanks for your comment, Olli. JR East is encouraging all tickets, including SUICA, to go digital. Sooner or later, the shift to QR code-based tickets should begin. Welcome Suica Mobile, scheduled to start next spring, is part of this shift.
I believe party of the problem for international visitors is that the mobile phone based apps using QR codes depend on some Japan specific hardware in the phone and will not work without this. From what I have read all recent iPhones have the necessary hardware, but most Android phones not specifically for the Japanese market do not.
I did read that recent Google Pixel phones (like mine) have the hardware but it is not enable on phones outside the Japanese market. So even if an app based system is available it will only work on iPhones and (potentially) Pixel phones if Google permits hardware access.
No matter how seriously JR East promotes digitalization, there will always be people, especially older people, who need help to keep up with the trend, and the company can't ignore their voices.
The company needs to continue to examine various ways to respond to smartphones brought in from overseas, especially Android.
Japan is a unique environment with an extremely high iPhone penetration rate. In that sense, I understand that the iPhone will precede new applications, but the company will also support Android.
This is useful, I'm visiting Japan next year so will buy a card then. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment, Martin. I don't know when you'll come next year, but the situation may change when you arrive. I will post as much as possible.
thank you!
So, are you saying that buying these cards is only useful because of cashless transactions? So, no price reduction as such?
if so there is nothing easier than going to your ticket machine pressing Eng -> choose your destination station, pay the required fare in coins and off you happily go !
Thank you for this. Very helpful.
Thanks for your comment, Olli. JR East is encouraging all tickets, including SUICA, to go digital. Sooner or later, the shift to QR code-based tickets should begin. Welcome Suica Mobile, scheduled to start next spring, is part of this shift.
I believe party of the problem for international visitors is that the mobile phone based apps using QR codes depend on some Japan specific hardware in the phone and will not work without this. From what I have read all recent iPhones have the necessary hardware, but most Android phones not specifically for the Japanese market do not.
I did read that recent Google Pixel phones (like mine) have the hardware but it is not enable on phones outside the Japanese market. So even if an app based system is available it will only work on iPhones and (potentially) Pixel phones if Google permits hardware access.
I will morn the loss of the Suica card if it goes all digital. The cash-like aspect of Suica is something that I like.
No matter how seriously JR East promotes digitalization, there will always be people, especially older people, who need help to keep up with the trend, and the company can't ignore their voices.
The company needs to continue to examine various ways to respond to smartphones brought in from overseas, especially Android.
Japan is a unique environment with an extremely high iPhone penetration rate. In that sense, I understand that the iPhone will precede new applications, but the company will also support Android.
Cash cannot die. Keep cash alive for your freedoms.