Leave a Review Shinkansen smartEX App
Worked as expected
During my travel in June, I booked JR high speed train from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on this app successfully after account registration and credit card verification. Now I have QR tickets in my Apple Wallet. You will need to have internet connection and the capacity to receive verification messages and emails.
Thanks for the possible recent improvements.Show lessDone is better
Worked perfectly for me
I thought that this app worked really well. I was able to but a non-reserved seat ticket from Kyoto to Tokyo. I charged my credit card in the app easily. Then I designated my IC card to hold the ticket. So, when I got to Kyoto station I simply scanned my phone with my IC card in Apple Pay and walked right though the gate.
I honestly think that most of the negative reviews are from people who don’t fully understand how to use their own devices.Show lessAfroswim
Try it for yourself
I am an American visiting Japan, I’m not sure what the negative reviews are about. In the past few weeks I have booked at least 4 shinkansen rides using this app quick and easy. The app is easy to use, in english, and I didn’t have any problems with payment using my AMEX.Gordon Shumway626
Doesn’t work
One of the most badly designed apps I have ever encountered. Once you enter a credit card, you can never change it, even if you close the account. To use a new credit card, you have to register for a new account. Then you have to get a new Suica card because your current one is permanently tied to the old credit card.
If you make the mistake of accepting their invitation to register a favorite route, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to select a non-favorite route.
I hope the Japanese app version is better because this is terrible.Show lessTokyo Reviewer
The app is so confusing and hard to use.
Plus: they claim they support Visa/Master credit card. But it never worked. I end up using an Amex card. (April, 2024) Plus: my iPhone wallet has Suica card. However, after I add the digital ticket to iPhone wallet, the ticket never works on their machine. This is because the machine always try to read Suica card instead of using the digital ticket. I always have to ask some one from the office to read the ticket. Because the officer may be busy with others, travel time could be substantially delayed. What a bad design!Show lessKk99552277
A disgracefully bad application
It took several hours to order a Shinkansen ticket with an American credit card. There is a very limited time out window, and the card verification is extremely glitchy/inconsistent.
This app is completely unacceptable. It is genuinely the worst checkout process I have ever experienced in an app, and the fact that it is the largest private train company in Japan is appalling. I would give it less than one star if that was an option.Show lessJacksongooth
Works fine, super convenient
Not sure where all the negative reviews are coming from. There is a certain amount of jank expected from anything developed in Japan for westerners, but this app worked great for me. I was able to buy and change Shinkansen tickets on the fly, and go through fare gates using my iPhones IC card.
Payment needed a Mastercard, and was declined once by the bank. Having to sign in every time was annoying, as was search results not being saved. But overall, it was 1000 times easier using this app to buy tickets while walking up to the gate rather than using JR’s physical ticket machines or long-lined manned counters.Show lessel31490
The end of Japanese innovation
This app shows the decline of Japan as a world power. Cheaply made, confusing and hard to use. It forces you to pay the basic fare from a Shinkansen station to another Shinkansen station which is good if you’re not taking the regular train before or after Shinkansen, so you end up paying more.
For example, traveling from Yurakucho station (Tokyo) to Shimoji station (Aichi), total fare buying at the station ¥8,570 (¥5,170 basic + ¥3,400 Shinkansen fare), same price buying from this app, you can only buy the ticket from Shinagawa to Toyohashi (both Shinkansen stations), price the same! ¥8,570, however you also need to pay the fare from Yurakucho to Shinagawa, and from Toyohashi to Shimoji.
This “glitch” can make people miss the Shinkansen and ruin their travel plans (like going to the airport to take a flight, etc.)
When I first downloaded this app I had a suspicion it will have several glitches so left early to the train station and had time to buy the extra tickets needed to be able to use this app, ended up spending more time and money, next time I will just pre-purchase my tickets at station.Show lessCrewIAH
Broken
I can’t log back in or make a new account. When I try to reset my password, it says my information is wrong even though it is all correct. When I make a new account, it kept telling me to contact my credit card provider when verifying my card. Such a disappointment since I loved using this app the last time I went to Japan. It was very convenient and I hope this gets fixed.Show lessJennasaurusH
App is useless
Adding to the chorus who would have given this 0 stars if possible. Both their app and website are useless at least for most US visitors because it will reject the vast majority of US credit cards. But only after you have wasted a ton of time going through every page of the registration process first. Then it kicks you out and you have to start every step over again for each card. It appears that only very old US credit cards usually without chips get through.Show lessCitivas
