Public transportation is something that many of you probably use every day, whether you are going to work, school, or somewhere else. A decade ago, station staff would clap your ticket for you, but these days there are many convenient ways to use public transportation, such as IC cards and mobile payment. In this context, Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) has been conducting a touch payment experiment using Sumitomo Mitsui Card's " stera transit," a solution for public transportation, since July 2022. The touch payment experiment with "Visa" has been conducted since September 2022, and it has been announced that touch payment with " JCB " and " Amerian Express " will start on December 5, 2022 (Monday).
JCB and Amerian Express added to the experiment!
JR Kyushu has announced that two new credit card brands, " JCB " and "Amerian Express," will be added to the touch payment experiment using the "stera transit" service for public transportation on December 5, 2022 (Monday). The new brands are "JCB" and "Amerian Express". JCB" and "Amerian Express" will be the first two credit card brands to be added to the touch payment experiment in Japan, and will be available at the ticket gates in the target stations from December 5, 2022 (Monday). The following stations on the Kagoshima Main Line will be the first in Japan to accept touch-sensitive payment.
- Hakata Station (Central and North ticket gates)
- Yoshizuka Station
- Hakozaki Station
- Chihaya Station
- Kashii station (1st floor ticket gate)
The service is available at five stations in Fukuoka City. Passengers can use the train by holding a card with touch-settlement function or a smart phone over a special touch-settlement device installed at an automatic ticket gate. Please note that only credit cards with the "touch payment" symbol can be used for touch payment.
The boarding and disembarking history of the touch payment service can be checked after completing the membership registration through Q-move, a service provided by QUADRAC Corporation.
Credit cards are now undergoing a reevaluation in terms of security, with JCB issuing Japan's first numberless card and Amerian Express' fraudulent use detection system. As the opportunities for using credit cards increase, so does the risk of misuse, but with initiatives such as numberless cards and fraudulent use detection, we can use credit cards with peace of mind. The demonstration experiment is expected to lead to the widespread use of credit cards in public transportation systems in various regions, so why not take this opportunity to issue a credit card?
The demonstration experiment is scheduled to run until March 2023.
The touch payment experiment using "stera transit" is scheduled to begin in July 2022 and continue until March 31, 2023 (Friday). The purpose of this experiment is to verify the stability of the system and to improve the convenience of the system for daily use and for visitors to the city, including foreigners visiting Japan. The IC cards that can be used at ticket gates differ from country to country, and once the system is fully operational, it is expected to be very convenient for tourists visiting Japan from abroad. For more information on the touch payment verification experiment, please visit JR Kyushu's official website.