Purchased shinkansen ticket on SmartEx website. Purchase completed without issues. Tried to use QR code to collect ticket at a kiosk but it would not recognise the QR code. Spoke to someone at the counter they told me not possible to collect ticket (using QR) and to scan QR at the gate.
Is this a new thing? Or did I do something wrong? 🤔
11 comments
We had to buy ours and have paperwork mailed to our home address that we exchange at the station. Couldn’t find any other way to get the Shinkansen tourist tickets
You can pick up a ticket with a QR code, but it’s not the same as the QR code used to enter the gate.
You can get the pick-up QR code by tapping the person icon then selecting “Issue Pick-up Code” in the app. The pick-up QR code is not for any specific journey, it’s actually a pick-up code for your account, and lets you pick up all the tickets you have registered in that account.
If you select your trip in the app, then that QR code is the boarding QR code instead. This QR code is for one specific ticket.
I assume the person in the station told you it’s not possible to collect your ticket because you probably showed them your QR Code ticket (instead of the pick-up QR code).
TLDR: Scan your QR code at the entrance gates where it says QR code. Worst case ask for help and someone will take care of you.
This happened to me too traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo. I scanned the QR code at the ticket machine, not at the entrance gates, which also say QR code. The ticket machine said something like “invalid QR code”. My wife didn’t scan at the machine (this is important later). I was instructed by the people in the office that I had to go to the entrance gates and they would help me. Sure enough, I got to the gates and the guy printed me a ticket and I was able to pass on through. My wife simply scanned her QR code at the gates and a ticket printed for her and she went on through.
Alternatively, I just associated the SmartEX app with my IC card a few days ago and it was no fuss to scan the IC card at the gate, and then a ticket pops up to show the ticket checkers.
Unfortunately, you did something wrong. I think they do it to get more money which is exactly what happens here but you have to be mailed in your home country the pass and then bring it to the JR station. That is the only way they don’t honor any other way. They also will not replace it if it is damaged or broken.
Try assigning an IC card to the ticket, then scan the IC card to enter. That’s what I did and had no problems.
I bought 2 Shinkansen tickets without JR pass and they issued me a QR code, which I can add to my Apple Wallet.
Then, when I go to the Shinagawa station, they scanned my QR code in the machine and printed out an actual ticket for me right at the gate. I was asked to scan my Suica card too.
Quick question: just bought my tickets. And there’s an option that says “display QR ticket” and I can add it to apple wallet etc.
Is it enough if I just scanned it at the gate? I don’t have to collect a paper ticket or anything?
You can also add your SmartEX shin ticket to your Suica card and not have to deal with any of this
You can, and might also want, to conveniently link the purchase/your Jr profile to your IC card (pasmo, suica) and just tap in like riding the subway
Do you have an android or an Iphone?