Using Avios to Japan

[tiriavpo]

We added Suica as a travel card to apple wallet (appreciate it might be available for Android). Pros and cons but mostly pros I think. As long as you use the right contactless IC Card pad it will debit the travel card, irrespective of what other credit card you have set within wallet to be your express travel card. (Do tap the Suica pad though, not the one with the universal wifi/contacless symbol, or that will probably charge to something else in your wallet – day 1 lesson learnt!)

It allows you to top up from a credit card, which is immediate unlike Oyster. It is less user friendly than a physical card when trying to eg buy a green car upgrade on the platform as the machines only seem to cope with a physical card – but on newer regional trains you can upgrade onboard, either via an overhead suica card reader or via the conductor. If you install the Suica app as well, you can see the full suica card number, and thence link it to other bookings – eg Smart EX shinkansen bookings.

We used google maps for nearly all of our trips in and around Japan. It was remarkably accurate, down to which entrance to the station to use, which platform and which carriage to choose for quickest transfer at connecting stations. It was also spot on with costs. I don’t think you can reclaim any money already stored on the card so towards the end we were fine tuning the balance versus expected costs. As long as there is any balance it will let you in, you can then top up as required. On our last journey, google said the cost would be 1 Yen more than I had remaining. I topped up 1 Yen and on leaving my balance was zero. For 1/2p I’m not sure it was entirely necessary but it felt like a major victory!