Loyalty Cards in Japan

It’s a little difficult as a foreigner to discover loyalty cards in Japan, but this was a school assignment, so I gave it my best shot. Of my family and new friends in Japan, I didn’t find anyone that used any.

Lawson convenience store

I did, however, easily discover that Lawson has one called Ponta. Just by the visuals of the signage and brochures, I could tell that its a loyalty card. Then a visit to the translated website confirms it. I love how they use cartoon ads and a character to represent it.

One cool thing about this card is that you can earn points not just at Lawson, but at their partner stores like banks, hotels, gas stations, etc. You can also share your points with other people. Then you use your points to get certain items from Lawson.

Starbucks

I have a Starbucks rewards card in the US, so I thought it would be cool to get one in Japan. Before, I came to Japan, I contacted Starbucks to see if I could use my own. They said that Japan has a separate program and that the US card wouldn’t work in Japan.

On one of my initial outings to Starbucks, I obtained a card and put yen on it. With the help of my sister n law, I registered it online. After all of that, I discovered that they don’t yet have a rewards program in Japan. I suppose I can just keep it as a souvenir for now.