I have a PayPay account, and I am verified yada-yada. I can use it, and I will use it when the govt pushes these silly 20-30% rebate campaigns out. But damn it is the most inconvenient and time consuming payment method out there… Why is Japan still struggling with this? Virtually every other country around the world has touchless payment systems that work with both Android and Apple phones. You dont need to open an app, type in the amount and try to get the silly reader to read some QR code off your screen.
Japan had an awesome no-contact payment system since early 2000s with Felica/Mobile Suica. It was blazingly quick, everyone’s phone supported it, and even worked when your phone battery was dead. But of course Apple came along with their “we wont play your rules” ideas and companies scrambled to find ways of paying with your phone without needing Felica. So now we have this QR code app that the government has put their weight behind (which is why they can continue to do these campaigns offering rebates).
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It is always so annoying when lining up to pay for something and the person in front of you says “Paypay”. Then fumbles with their phone while the teller fumbles with their reader, and the whole process takes more time than a grandma counting out 1 yen coins to complete the purchase.
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Rant over. Knowing this reddit channel i will be blasted to pieces, but you know there are better ways of doing cashless payments…
by Tokyo_Dom