JP Transit YouTuber Kenzy posted a very helpful video outlining the best credit cards for Mobile Suica, PASMO and ICOCA users (SUGOCA users too but this post will focus on mobile cards). He takes the time to explain the ins and outs of which cards gives transit users the best return with their chosen Transit IC card ecosystem. Japan has a fascinating transit payment platform that really doesn’t exist in any other country with a unique mix of credit cards, Transit IC cards and reward point ecosystems that cover local transit, Shinkansen ticketing and station mall shopping. Anybody living in Japan should spend some time getting acquainted with local transit reward point options as they can really help stretch budgets in these challenging economic times. By all means watch his video for details, I’ll cover main points below.
Mobile Suica
VIEW CARD is the go to choice for all things JR East, from Mobile Suica to Eki-Net tickets and JRE POINT, basic reward rates as follows:
JR East is promoting Mobile Suica use over plastic Suica and point rewards reflect this as they much higher for Mobile Suica. The VIEW CARD product lineup has also been updated for the Mobile Suica era: standard VIEW CARD now promotes EMV contactless tap options instead of the traditional combo Suica + EMV chip version as Mobile Suica users have more options with the EMV contactless version. VIEW CARD also gives 0.5 ~ 1.0 rewards for regular credit card use and there are different VIEW products that offer better returns for JR East station mall shopping and BIC CAMERA. I have 2 VIEW cards, a VIEW / BIC CAMERA for regular use (JRE POINT and BIC CAMERA points) and VIEW / JRE for in-station shopping (3.5% JRE POINT), without much effort I can rack up 60,000 JRE POINT and 15,000 BIC CAMERA in 8 months or so.
There is lots of value in JRE POINT, the discounts on Eki-Net Shinkansen eTickets and Mobile Suica Green Car tickets alone are very attractive. The more you use it, the more you get out of it, and let’s not forget the great feature of VIEW CARD: Mobile Suica Auto Charge. The value and synergy of JRE POINT will continue to grow as JR East further integrates JRE POINT with transit affiliate services and point exchanges with JR Group (JR Central TOKAI STATION POINT, JR West WESTER POINT).
Mobile PASMO
PASMO has been at a disadvantage compared to Suica because PASMO POINT does not exist. Instead they have different reward point systems of each PASMO member: Seibu Smile Point, Tokyu Point, Odakyu Point, Tobu Point, etc. It’s a collection of point silos without the synergy or integration of JRE POINT. Fortunately Tobu is finally stepping up to the plate this spring with a new line of Tobu Card with reward point returns that start to catch up with JR East. While it does’t match JRE POINT simplicity (though the Tobu Point and Tobupo Mileage exchange differences are somewhat awkward, milage rewards are a Mobile PASMO exclusive). Overall it’s a big improvement for PASMO users who want better rewards.
Mobile ICOCA
And then we have J-West Card. JR West has been putting a lot of effort into WESTER POINT and Mobile ICOCA to catch up with JR East. To that end they upped J-West / WESTER POINT reward rates in December 2024, not quite JR East levels yet but getting closer, and they offer a number of special ticket packages at 50% discount rates exclusive to JR West operated lines.
JR West was late to mobile and reward points, but they are obviously running hard to catch up with JR East. It will be interesting to see how the competition unfolds.
Kenzy made an excellent comment on X recently that sums the choices we have despite a vocal group who say things are too complex for average users:
Those who demand a unified JR reservation site are either socialists who say they don’t need any of the high-return offers like VIEW CARD or JRE POINT, the convenience of S Work vehicles or EX reservations a year in advance, or the flat-rate e-ticket system, or they are information-poor individuals who are unaware of these services. Even though we have so many service options available compared to the JNR era.
Things have changed for the better, I hope they continue to evolve and improve.
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