Apple brings Apple Pay to Japan this October

Source: Apple. Apple Pay will let iPhone 7 users in Japan commute with Suica.

Apple has announced that the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 will support Apple Pay in Japan beginning in October.

Users can commute and pay for everyday items with Suica from JR East, and make credit and prepaid card purchases in stores, apps and on the Web with a single touch. Apple is also introducing support for transit in Japan with Maps in iOS 10, so commuters can easily find ride details, including fare breakdowns that automatically show Suica pricing on their device, making their commute simpler than ever.

Apple Pay is accepted anywhere Suica is available, so users can make quick everyday purchases and buy or reload a Suica card or commuter pass, all with their iPhone. Japan’s major financial brands will also support Apple Pay, so shoppers can make purchases wherever it is supported.

Said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO: “Apple Pay will transform your daily routine, from making your commute easier and more convenient than ever with Suica right on your iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, to using your favourite cards to make secure and private purchases with a single touch.”

“As the world’s largest transit operator, JR East is committed to innovating so we can provide our customers across Japan the best service possible,” said Tetsuro Tomita, President and CEO of East Japan Railway. “For iPhone 7, we redesigned an entirely new experience from the ground up so our customers can enjoy the ease and security of using Apple Pay while commuting, in our app and in stores with Suica.”

The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 sold in Japan will support FeliCa Type-F NFC contactless technology, which is used every day for more than 160 million transactions across Japan.

When Maps launches support for transit in Japan with iOS 10 in October, Apple Pay users can map out and pay for their entire commute, including major train, subway, ferry and national bus lines, on their iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, based on updated fare and schedule information. If the user has a Suica card added to Apple Pay and is planning a route that exceeds its balance, an alert will show when it is time to reload, so the user can do so instantly, right on the device. Commuters can also follow navigation instructions to help them get around Japan’s extensive underground tunnel networks.

Apple Pay will support many of the most popular Japanese credit and prepaid cards issued by AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, Orient Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Toyota Finance, UC Cards and View Card, and carriers KDDI, NTT Docomo and Softbank, representing more than three-quarters of all credit card spending in Japan, with major global and domestic networks like American Express, Mastercard, JCB, iD and QUICPay. Users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by their cards.

Beginning in October, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 users will be able to make purchases in stores anywhere Suica, iD or QUICPay is accepted, encompassing nearly two-thirds of all transactions at Japan’s largest merchants. In addition to Apple Stores in Japan, leading retailers that will accept Apple Pay include convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Family Mart, Lawson, Ministop and Sunkus, supermarkets such as AEON, APITA and PIAGO, gas stations including ENEOS and Esso Mobil General, retailers like BicCamera, Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Uniqlo, and local brands such as JapanTaxi and Sukiya.

Online shopping in apps and on websites accepting Apple Pay is as simple as the touch of a finger with Touch ID, so there’s no need to manually fill out lengthy account forms or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. Card numbers are kept private and not shared with the merchant*. Online brands that will accept Apple Pay in Japan include BASE, Demae-Can, giftee, Jalan.net, JapanTaxi, minne and Toho Cinema.

When paying for goods and services on the go within apps or Safari, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6 and later, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 and later. You can also use Apple Pay in Safari on any Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra, and confirm the payment with iPhone 6 or later or Apple Watch.

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. If the device is lost, the web-based Find My iPhone feature can be used to put the device in Lost Mode to suspend Apple Pay, or the device can be wiped clean. Users can also stop the ability to make payments with Apple Pay on iCloud.com. The Suica balance is recoverable in the case of a lost device.

Interested?

Watch how Apple Pay will make commuting and paying in Japan faster and easier

*When users link a credit or prepaid card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device.