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Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
This Robot Wants Your Money, Jerks

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loslosbaby
09/02/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
The U.S. is so big we can't move into the future: in Japan they have 500 Yen coins, widely usable (now) and this in a country where you can buy underwear/beer/shirt/digital camera/train-passes-with-built-in-1-day-vacation in a vending machine.
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loslosbaby
09/02/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
The key thing about Suica is that its anonymous...like many things in Japan including pike passes.

But here in the U.S., we like it a little creepier and want ID information, like pike passes.
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Stephen LaManna
09/02/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
This sounds like it would very easily catch on in NYC. All it would take is to modify your metro cards to a wave opposed to a swipe. I'd use my metro card at 7-11 if I could.
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Brandon Drake
09/02/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
I lived in Japan for a couple of years, and before the Suica cards were available my wallet was full of coins. Japan doesn't have paper money for anything below a 10.

The Suica card is awesome and saved me loads of time.
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UGAdawg
09/02/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
Dude! They have swipe cards like this for the DC Metro. It's prepaid, usually subsidized by your employer, and swiped at the turn style.

[www.wmata.com]

As for the excitement of having a card loaded with money, we have those already called debit cards. I hardly carry any cash on my now days and only use my debit card for purchasing. I do carry singles if I know that I need to pay someone back or just to have in case I want a soda from the vending machine.

The one cool thing that debit cards have over the RFID chip tech is that it can't be read remotely.
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Purple Dave
09/02/09

@UGAdawg:
Just because you can't remote-read a non-RFID debit card through someone's pocket doesn't mean that they're 100% secure. I don't know how many times I've read cautionary articles about how debit cards can be swiped through a portable reader to capture the data while it's out of the owner's sight for just a few seconds, and federal regulations on debit card fraud are not nearly as favorable to the consumer as they are for credit card fraud.
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UGAdawg
09/02/09

@Purple Dave: Remote reading an RFID card is the least invasive technique. You don't even have to touch the person in order to do it. Whereas in your scenario you have to have possession of the card. That takes a bit of work. I still won't have an RFID chip on me that's tied to my finances. As for the swipe out of site, well at least you know there's a chance there. You SEE the possibility of it happening. Plus if there is any fraud you have a pretty good idea of where to start looking for a source.
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LoralieHydra
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
Imagine that you have to take the subway daily, and that the alternatives are a) buy a ticket each day or b) wave an electronic card over the gate. Then imagine that the shops in the subway set up to take the electronic cards, too. Then imagine that other stores decide that as long as everyone is using those cards, that it's worth it for them to accept the cards, too.

Where's the hook for that to catch on in the US?
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Ktak
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
As has been noted elsewhere on this thread, Japan's e-money cards aren't linked to bank accounts, so the most you will ever lose is the amount that you have loaded onto the card. Many people (even those who don't use them to make store purchases) use them primarily for the train or bus.

As for the 50 percent non-usage statistic, my guess is that older consumers account for most of them. They may be comfortable using it for transportation purposes, but not for purchases. Japan, for the most part, has always been a cash based society, and these habits die hard. It's not uncommon to see housewives with wads of cash going to ATMs on payday to deposit money into various accounts or to make payments.

Personally, I rarely use my Suica or cellphone's e-cash capability to make purchases, but I can see the appeal for those who are always on the move. And it's great to have a backup in case I forget or lose my wallet.
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Bokusatsu_Tenshi
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
Convenience rules all...
Why have a bunch of paper and coins when you can replace it all for a card?

Dunno how it works, but probably also helps on train/metro stations, vending machines, etc.
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fibbsjc
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
I think it may have to do with several reasons. There are other, better payment methods out there (i.e., keitai pay which giz has covered many times); security issues (i.e., anybody can use these cards, whether or not they own them); and my wife doesn't like them because she doesn't like the impulse buy they encourage in her (psychologically, it makes one pause and think a little bit more when making a purchase when one has to take out cash for a purchase than when one just swipes a card). For what its worth. I pay with cash always, and it doesn't bother me to carry it around. For one the bill denominations make much more sense to me here (10s, 50s and 100s) and nobody bats an eyelid if you pay for a pack of smokes with a hundred (10,000 Yen) bill at a convenience store like Lawson or Family Mart, etc.
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tande04
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
Yep, put me in the "I don't get it" category.

Why would I want something that when I lose, its just like losing cash.
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detoys
09/01/09

@tande04: It's no *worse* than cash in terms of security and has the advantage of being easier to use like a debit card. And unlike a debit card, it is not linked to your bank account, so at most you're out the amount you pre-charged it if you lose it or it is hacked. I can certainly imagine using one of these in certain situations (e.g. a vending machine) where I would never use a debit or even a credit card.
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Tmacfan4321
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
I don't see the major differences between this and Debit.
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zeroprime
09/01/09

@Tmacfan4321: That's what I was wondering. This seems like a less safe form of having a debit card. And if the difference is that the card keeps a running total in it instead of polling a server, that seems like a great way to encourage people to hack it and add money to it for free.
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Rosa Golijan
09/01/09

@zeroprime: Unlike a normal debit card it isn't linked to your bank account, so maybe more like a prepaid one, and as a cute bonus, it's contactless.
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Edited by Rosa Golijan at 09/01/09 10:46 PM Rosa Golijan was starred Rosa Golijan was unstarred

OblivionVII
09/01/09

In reply to Half Of Tokyoites Prefer to Wave Instead of Swiping and Counting
I wish more vending machines in America took these kinds of cards.
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walker2151
09/01/09

@OblivionVII: /Or debit cars?
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32ndnote
09/01/09

@walker2151: I'm glad they don't. The temptation is just that much greater when I can just swipe it. At least when I don't have the cash I can say, "Eh, dehydration isn't that bad."
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
11/12/08

In reply to This Robot Wants Your Money, Jerks
I guess this DOES have an ATM on it's torso lite-brite. Call Palpatine.
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Dr. H. F. Danger
11/12/08

In reply to This Robot Wants Your Money, Jerks
Transaction Enforcement Droid Series 209

TED209: Please tap your bank card, You have 20 seconds to comply.

I just tapped it, am I using the wrong hand?

TED209: You now have 15 seconds to comply.

I'm tapping!? *hand* *other hand* where is it? *crotch*

TED209: You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9. You have 5 seconds to comply. *Minigun appears*

PLEASE, NO! I JUST WANT TO SEE MADAGASCAR 2!!!

TED209: I am now authorized to use physical force! *PEW PEW* Debit card is now disabled

What?!? oh...

crap.
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Ibelieveinsandwitches
11/12/08

In reply to This Robot Wants Your Money, Jerks
Thats actually just a picture of a street performer, he does look like a robot, but i've seen him before. its just a little kid that does, admittedly, a pretty good dance.
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
11/12/08

@Ibelieveinsandwitches:
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