Leave a Review Shinkansen smartEX App
Absolutely useless, complete joke
This app rejects perfectly valid credit cards that will work at the Japanese stations immediately after trying in the app.
The app asks details about you, then allows you to set a password. Then, If the credit card verification fails, you’re out of luck. Kicks you back to the first screen, makes you re-enter account details to create an account.
Took 30 minutes to try every credit card and debit card I have. They all work flawlessly all throughout Japan.
The only explanation is the devs are absolute trash and don’t know to make the most simple account registration imaginable.
Embarrassing for everyone involved, and infuriating for customers.
Apple, please remove this from the App Store.Show lessApple G5
Can’t create an account
The idea of this app is awesome but in reality it is unusable. I can’t even create an account because it requires you to input your card information, but even when you do it errors out and you can’t finish it. It says to call the card company but the card company says nothing is wrong. The app and website have the same problem. So much wasted potentialShow lessB-Ri231
Always get error message on credit card
I have tried several credit cards and even called them to allow Ex to validate my card. I have a trip to Japan next month and this is the only way to order online tickets. Please help!burnsey
Can’t get passed authentication
Used this app for over a year but for some reason I cannot get passed the Credit Card authentication screen even though I just used this last week. Not sure what the issue is but it’s highly inconvenient at the moment.Angel v86
Don’t waste your time
This app is miserable. It has never worked with any of my cards and when I tried to have my Japanese wife login it wouldn’t let her login to the account because it wasn’t the phone that the account was made on. 意味わからないぐらい不便すぎ！作り直せばいいと思う！TheJoeyBeans
This is an embarrassment to Japan!
This app and program (even the internet version) is a mess. I can travel throughout Japan using all different apps (including Suica), and yet my wife (Japanese citizen residing in Japan using her Japan issued CC) can’t get past the stupid credit card verification. I buy tickets using my cc at the stations, but it won’t verify the CC.
App might be ok, but the vast majority will never know.
I am sort of worried about the safety of the railways if they can’t even get a simple app to work. If the could just put a little more effort into their customer service as they do to running their trains on time.Show lessknsan18
App unusalable
As a first time user this app is unusable. After opening the app you get prompted with either a login option or a sign up option. As I first time user the obvious to choose sign up to make an account. Unfortunately directly after pressing sign up you are directed to an error page saying login is unsuccessful. The app in its current state is unusable for new users.Show lessKal-123
Does not work
OMG. This app is AWFUL. I keep trying to register but get stuck at the credit card portion. I used multiple credit cards but none worked. How am I supposed to book a ticket with a non-working app? Please fix this app.Dating808
Does not accept US-issued credit cards
Tried all my cards, none worked. As a user, it shouldn’t be my problem to figure out whether my card issuer had 3d secure enabled. Also, as a service provider, you shouldn’t be making it impossible for potential customers to use your service.unhappy long time user in sf
What a mess. An embarrassment to JR.
This app has so much potential. Ability to book almost any Shinkansen, accepts (at least theoretically) foreign credit cards, integrates with both physical and mobile Suica. All sounds great, except there’s some terrible user interface design decisions and more often than not it simply doesn’t work.
First of all, credit card verification randomly fails. Tried my cards from three countries over four months and only once would it accept it. Other times it issues random “please contact your issuer” errors without even popping the 3D secure window. But it doesn’t end there. Some bright spark decided that if their incredibly error prone credit card verification failed, they’ll kick you out and make you start over again. If you’re in the midst of registering that means 5-8 minutes of wrestling with the app lost.
Second, the session timeout is measured in minutes. This is on a phone where most everyone has biometric authentication enabled so sessions could safely last for months. No, 5 minutes idle and you get to login again.
Third, it constantly sends 2FA codes to email. I counted at least 4 separate codes needed during sign up. Come on. Did no one do any basic flow/usability testing?
This app is unfortunately a testament to how low a priority JR (an Japan in general) puts on software. Get your act together JR and put a competent team on this app and make it great!Show lessTobanchan™
