2022-06-30 UPDATE: The original My Number Point program is over, replaced by My Number Point Program 2 that started June 30, 2022 and runs through the end of February 2023. #2 program offers ¥5,000 in points for creating a My Number Card, ¥7,500 in points for using My Number Card as a insurance card ID, and ¥7,500 points for registering a bank account that can receive government subsidies (when such campaigns are announced). See the JRE POINT guide for Suica + JRE POINT My Number Point 2 registration details. The original post remains for reference.
Now that the CASHLESS Rebate program is over, we have a new Japanese government program promoting cashless use for points: My Number Point. And yes it comes with an app. There’s just one tiny gotcha: you have to have a plastic My Number card because as the campaign name makes clear, the whole enterprise is about motivating people to register for a one. The initial campaign program runs July 1~March 30 2020. Users can get the equivalent of up to ¥5,000 in points in exchange for ¥20,000 worth of cashless shopping.
The basic idea is that starting from July 1, you use the My Number Point app to read the NFC tag in your My Number card and register your cashless payment service of choice: Suica, PayPay, credit card, etc. The full list is here.
After you buy ¥20,000 worth of stuff by August with your registered cashless payment, you get points. We won’t know how bad the sign up process is until it goes live. At best it looks convoluted, and a lot of hoops for only ¥5,000 in points. COVID is already more than enough motivation for going cashless but payment players are dutifully offering extra points for registration.
As your dutiful field reporter, I volunteer to dive into the NFC tag registration process on July 1 and tell you all about it. Here’s the official list of compatible iPhone devices.
Suica/JRE POINT Registration
Okay, I did it. The registration process, like the app, looks and acts like a government bureaucracy product. It’s not pretty but gets the job done. But it’s a fun exercise using the My Number Card NFC tag for secure login. Here is a quick summary.
Before you start: you’ll need a My Number Card, and a JRE POINT account with your Mobile Suica registered.
(1) Have your My Number Card and 4 PIN login code ready and launch the app. The My Number Card NFC tag read with iPhone seems very allergic to any surrounding metal. Hold the card in your hand, it takes about 8 seconds for a successful read.
(2) Follow steps 1~6 shown here to login and get to payment system registration
(3) You need 3 pieces of info from your JRE POINT account: the JRE POINT exchange number, the registered katakana account name, the registered birth date. Tap the link to the JRE POINT page and login, copy the JRE POINT exchange number and paste it in the Payment Service ID, past the katakana name (no spaces) in Security Code 1, enter the registered birth date into Security Code 2. Enter the last 4 digits of your current iPhone number in the last field.
(4) After entering and confirming your JRE POINT information you have to enter your My Number Card PIN and read NFC tag again. This completes the process, you should see a green confirmation checkmark.
From here all you need to do is purchase ¥20,000 worth of goods or recharges with Mobile Suica by August 31. The timing and details of the My Number Point bonus into your JRE POINT account should be coming soon. Check the My Number Point page for details.
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