Tap-and-go Credit Card Payment Experiment on 3 Tokyo Train Lines; Hoping to Increase Convenience in Travel

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, May 16, 2024

The Tokyo metropolitan government’s Bureau of Transportation, Keikyu Corp. and other entities said Thursday they would start an experiment with tap-and-go credit card payments at ticket gates in select train stations later this year.

The experiment, which is aimed at improving convenience for tourists from overseas, will begin on three lines: Keikyu Line, which connects Haneda Airport and various tourist spots in Tokyo, along with the Toei Asakusa Line and Toei Oedo Line subway lines.

According to the announcement and other sources, the experiment will be conducted at nine stations on the Keikyu Line, including the two Haneda Airport stations, Shinagawa Station and Yokohama Station. About 20 subway stations frequently used by tourists will also be part of the trial.

Under the experiment, passengers will touch a credit card to a special card reader installed on ticket gates to pass through. Stations where the experiment will not take place will allow other payment methods, such as cash.

Data collected from the experiment will be used for a full-scale operation of tap-and-go ticket gates and to increase the number of stations with ticket gates that allow credit card payments. Tokyu Corp. started a similar demonstrative experiment on every station except for those of Setagaya Line on Wednesday.

The credit cards able to be used in the experiment are Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay. Mastercard is also expected to join the project.