Today, the ban on nanaco and WAON has finally been lifted on the iPhone How to use it

October 21, nanaco and WAON finally support the iPhone

Today (October 21, 2021, the date of article publication), there was a big change in the iPhone. That is, nanaco and WAON are now compatible with the iPhone.

Nanaco and WAON are among the most used electronic money in Japan, but most of them use plastic IC cards.

For some time, Android smartphones could be made mobile if they were compatible with Osaifu-Keitai, but iPhones were not.

nanaco and WAON are electronic money that cannot be used without the FeliCa or "Osaifu-Keitai" function.

There are Mobile Suica (also PASMO), Rakuten Edy, QUICPay, and iD as smartphone electronic money that uses a similar mechanism. Of these, QUICPay and iD can already be used by registering a credit card with ApplePay (one of them will be automatically set).

Also, Mobile Suica was supported when the iPhone 7 was released, and as was widely advertised, it was the main feature of the iPhone's FeliCa compatibility.

However, although nanaco, WAON, and Rakuten Edy are in the same camp as FeliCa, they have not been compatible with the iPhone. On the contrary, the mobileization of PASMO was preceded by iPhone support.

Finally, from today, nanaco WAON for iPhone.

There are circumstances unique to Japan, such as "iPhone market share is high" and "Osaifu-Keitai support"

In the first place, FeliCa specifications are unique to Japan, so it is an unnecessary part for smartphones that are expanding globally. . In fact, some Android smartphones from Taiwanese manufacturers and Chinese manufacturers, which are mainly deployed overseas, do not support Osaifu-Keitai despite being ultra-high-performance smartphones.

However, since the iPhone 7 or later has a FeliCa chip, it should have been possible to use nanaco and WAON.

For nanaco and WAON, iPhone compatibility was a long-cherished wish. This is because in Japan, the spread of electronic money centered on IC cards was ahead of the curve. The mobile wallet function replaced this with smartphones, but Android smartphones were ahead of the curve here, and iPhones were behind.

Compared to other countries, the iPhone has a high market share in Japan (and the younger generation, such as students, is also very supportive), so not being compatible with the iPhone was a disadvantage to the competition.

Nanaco and WAON are now able to compete on mobile Suica and iPhone, although the circumstances that finally dealt with it do not appear on the table.

Good news for existing users, but is there a low need for new settings?

Each app has a app that you can download from the AppStore and set to use with Apple Pay. If you already have a card, it seems that you can read it and take over the balance and data (However, the card will be discarded. You can also import GGWAON, which is advantageous for the elderly. There is no mention of senior nanaco at the time of writing).

nanacohttps://www.nanaco-net.jp/app/

WAON https://www.waon.net/campaign/202110_waonacp/

WAON seems to be running an initial campaign where the first 100,000 people who charge 10,000 yen will receive 500 points (application required, see the link above for details).

By the way, if Aeon is within your daily life, or if you often use Ito-Yokado or 7-Eleven, there is room for consideration in changing to Apple Pay support and iPhone payment.

Aeon and Ito-Yokado increase the point redemption rate when paying with WAON and nanaco on specific days, and may award points for campaign products. Suica payments can be made at AEON, Ito-Yokado, and 7-Eleven stores, but there is value in setting up nanaco and WAON on smartphones.

Let's first think about whether there are situations where nanaco or WAON can be used in your area. If you already have a nanaco or WAON IC card, you should consider switching to a smartphone.

On the other hand, what about "value" and "usage scene" for people who do not use Aeon, Ito-Yokado, and 7-Eleven so much?

If you can use Mobile Suica or PASMO, which can already be set up on your iPhone, transportation cards are covered by nanaco, and stores that use WAON are basically covered. Since it can be used at public transportation facilities and other stores that do not support nanaco or WAON, the usage scene is expanding.

In terms of the basic return rate, neither Suica, QUICPay, nanaco, or WAON, which can be obtained with iD, is significantly higher. Rather, mobile Suica (equivalent to 1.5%) linked with View card, QUICPay with high return rate credit card, iD (for example, 2.0% return when using VisaLINEPay credit card with iD) may be higher.

The key to deciding whether or not to use the settings is likely to be "whether to go to Aeon" or "whether to go to 7-Eleven or Ito-Yokado".

Is Rakuten Edy compatible? Is Rakuten Pay enough?

By the way, I have a question. That is that Rakuten Edy is not included in this response.

In the first place, it is hardware that supports Osaifu-Keitai, so it seems that it can be compatible with everything, but at first it started with Suica, QUICPay, and iD support, and PASMO, nanaco and WAON have been added. But the last remaining is the Rakuten Edy camp.

Searching past news articles, it seems to be true that there is some kind of negotiation, but the people involved are avoiding statements.

Regarding Rakuten, the QR code payment "Rakuten Pay" is gaining a certain amount of popularity, and you can set it up on your iPhone as well. And we have acquired a certain share. There are many stores such as convenience stores that can be used, so it may be implying that you do not have to force yourself to respond.

Towards a “Completely Cashless Life” without Carrying Cash

The ability to use nanaco and WAON on the iPhone, which we are all familiar with, will accelerate the use of cashless payments. It seems like it will be, but this is also a step toward a completely cashless life that is complete with a smartphone.

If you have a credit card registered with Apple Pay, you can charge nanaco or WAON without using cash. As for auto-charging, it seems to be a mechanism to specify only affiliated credit cards via the app, but it doesn't take much time to charge a few thousand yen each time.

If you think about it, "withdraw cash at ATM" → "request charge at cash register and hand over cash" → "cashless payment" is not "cashless". If you use a smartphone, you will be able to omit it. You can also earn credit card points.

Why don't you switch to a more profitable and convenient "complete cashless life" with the support of nanaco and WAON on your iPhone this time?