JP transit and cashless YouTuber kenzy continues his series of practical, useful vids. His latest installment covers some JRE POINT best use strategies. I had been planning something similar but instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ll outline the basics of his video, focusing on Mobile Suica. There is also the JRE POINT Beginners Guide that covers account registration and setup but not JRE POINT Stages. By all means watch kenzy’s video for details.
Beginner Level (JRE POINT Stage 1~2)
One of the nice things about JRE POINT is that you don’t necessarily have to live in the JR East region to benefit. All you need are a Mobile Suica account and a JRE POINT account. The pain of registering and juggling multiple JR East service accounts (Mobile Suica, JRE POINT, Eki-Net, NewDays, JR East app, etc.) will start going away when the new single sign-in JRE ID launches in February 2025.
(1) JRE POINT Mobile Suica Recharge
The best use case for anybody regardless of where they live. Earn 1 point per ¥50 with Apple Pay Suica recharge, then turn around accumulated JRE POINT for Mobile Suica 1 point to ¥1 exchange recharge which you can use for transit, store payments, etc., any place that accepts Transit IC cards.
(2) JRE POINT Store Purchases / Vending Machines
Time limited JRE POINT cannot be used for Mobile Suica recharge but they are automatically used when using JRE POINT for store or vending machine purchases. Using JRE POINT at stores can be done via the app, VIEW CARD or JRE POINT CARD. Newer model JR East station vending machines have a JRE POINT.
Middle Level (JRE POINT Stage 2~3)
(3) NewDays app coupons
Another way to use time limited and regular JRE POINT is the JRE Coupon tab in NewDays app. Despite the inconvenience of setting up the app (yet another account registration and linking to your JRE POINT account) These are good for getting select items at basically half-price. Barcode coupons are only valid for 5 minutes so be sure to tap barcode button only when ready to purchase, I also recommend using staffed checkout because the self-checkout process is a bit convoluted until you get the hang of it. When I tried it, a checkout staffer hustled me to her register saying, “don’t bother with the self checkout app barcodes, you’ll never figure it out.”
(4) JRE POINT Suica Green Car Tickets
Suica Green Car tickets are a great value with JRE POINT as they are a flat rate regardless of distance with bigger discounts for JRE POINT Stages 3 and Premium. Tickets are easy to buy in JRE POINT app / Suica app. Follow the instructions in Suica App Guide. Ticket applications in JRE POINT app can be made up to 30 days in advance and unused ticket applications automatically return to your JRE POINT account after 30 days. A real no brainer if you want to use inexpensive Green Car seats on local lines.
Pro User Level (JRE POINT Premium)
Using JRE POINT on a larger scale is somewhat challenging but fun if you like hunting for good deals which you’ll need to do as the premium options for using points are numerous.
(5) Lumine Gift Coupons (VIEW CARD users only)
These are only available from your JRE POINT account My Page Point Exchange link. As Kenzy points out, Lumine gift coupons have a good exchange rate and can be used for making purchases in Lumine shopping malls. The down side is that using gift coupons doesn’t give you points. You’ll get a better point return if you have and use a VIEW JRE CARD at JR East shopping malls and use your JRE POINT in
(6) Eki-Net Mileage exchange eTickets / Ticketless
This is where things get interesting, and convoluted. You can purchase Shinkansen eTickets with JRE POINT as follows:
However, you have to apply for JRE POINT Shinkansen eTickets on the Eki-Net Website via your account My Page section. As JRE POINT discount seating is somewhat limited, the number of available trains per hour might be smaller than a regular search. In my experience however, JRE POINT Shinkansen eTicket seat availability is generally better than the ‘grab quick while you see it’ 30% discount Tokudane eTickets and the overall discount only slightly less.
(7) JRE POINT Eki-Net Dokokani
This is a weird lottery ticket concept exclusively for JRE POINT Premium stage holders that offers deep round trip discounts to places you might, or might not, want to go, for 6000 points per person. Enter trips date and the number of people, hit the search button and you are offered 4 destinations. If you choose one you have option to get discounts on a rental car and lodging. Try and try again if you don’t like the 4 destination suggestions until you find something attractive but as kenzy explains, this is an option for people who have JRE POINT to burn and because of the lottery aspect, it’s not very trip planning friendly.
(8) Dynamic Rail Pack Discount Coupons
This one has potential but depends on what Dynamic Rail Pack trips are available on the View-Travel page at any given time. The strategy is simple: buy Trip Discount Coupons (5,000) on JRE MALL then use them when purchasing a Dynamic Rail Package (only one coupon per reservation). The upside is that coupons are good for the calendar year, so if you buy one in January, it’s good through December.
Happy Hunting.
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