Japan’s “V Point” Program Stumbles on Launch Day

Jiji Press

12:50 JST, April 23, 2024

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press) — Japan’s new “V Point” reward point program stumbled on the very day it was launched, due to a glitch found in related apps.

Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. halted some functions including balance displays and point spending from around 11 a.m. Monday after finding that the apps displayed incorrect balances.

The new V Point program started on the day through the merger of Culture Convenience Club Co.’s T-Point program and the existing V Point program of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., the parent of Sumitomo Mitsui Card.

On Tuesday, the credit card company said the glitch was fixed around 3 a.m.., although it added that balance displays may still remain disrupted for some customers.

The glitch stemmed from a problem with a system to link user identification data between the two programs, according to Sumitomo Mitsui Card.