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>The 7pay mobile app was designed to show a barcode on the phone's screen when customers reach the 7-Eleven cashier counters. The cashier scans the barcode, and the bought goods are charged to the user's 7pay app and the customer's credit or debit cards that have been saved in the account.

Why is this app even needed? Is EMV contactless not a thing in Japan? Did 7/11 want to join the mobile pay bandwagon?

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Japanese 7-11 take contactless just fine, even Apple Pay works. I guess they just wanted to add their own "flavor" to the already maddening mix of available payment and loyalty card options.

> Is EMV contactless not a thing in Japan?

Not really, at least as we know it. Contactless in Japan is very popular, but doesn't use EMV. Most terminals in Japan use a Sony-derived standard called Felica (also known as NFC Type F), which is different to EMV (Type A and Type B). Felica is used both for transit systems (Pasmo, Suica, etc) and payments.

EMV readers do exist, but are typically used solely by international travelers and thus are commonly found at airports or restaurants. Square readers are quite popular for this purpose.

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