Apple Pay users got the Mizuho branded Suica in 2018, so it’s only fair that Android Suica users get a digitally branded Suica too. JR East and Rakuten announced Rakuten Pay Suica today. Starting next spring, Rakuten Pay users on Osaifu Keitai Android (no mention of Google Pay, ahem), will be able to create a virtual Rakuten Pay Suica card in the Rakuten Pay app and rack up Rakuten points when recharging it with Rakuten Pay.
Rakuten founder Hiroshi Mikitani is a former bank executive and his buildup of the Rakuten payments service empire is impressive. The whole point is to remove credit cards and banks from the Suica recharge process for Rakuten Pay users, and there are lots of them. So much so that some Apple Pay users might be tempted to switch to Android just to use Rakuten Pay Suica.
All things Suica will change with the arrival of Super Suica in 2021. Until then this is another nice, and strategically important, expansion of the Suica Transit Platform, extending the usefulness of Suica in the Rakuten Pay point universe that has a deep user base in rural areas. Come to think of it, this is JR East getting their ducks in a row for the Super Suica rollout that will incorporate all those local rural transit IC cards that have been left out the e-money and digital wallet revolution. It’s a perfect matchup.
UPDATE
Rakuten and JR East are examining iOS support in addition to Android. Jennifer Bailey and the Apple Pay crew had better get cracking on negotiations with Rakuten, Rakuten Pay Suica is going to be way bigger and more important than Mizuho Suica can ever be.
You must be logged in to post a comment.