Other e-money: WAON, nanaco, Suica
How stored-value e-money differs from loyalty points, and where each earns.
Suica/PASMO are mostly transit e-money with limited rewards, while WAON (AEON/Ministop) and nanaco (Seven & i) are closed-loop stored value that earn their own points — never assume an arbitrary card charge to them earns card points.
Key points
- Suica/PASMO: mostly transit; broad merchant acceptance, limited base reward.
- WAON earns WAON POINT at AEON-group and participating merchants.
- nanaco earns points at Seven & i; accumulated points convert to e-money.
- These are primarily closed-loop stored value.
- Never assume an arbitrary card-to-e-money charge earns card points.
Stored value vs loyalty points
Suica and PASMO are transit-first e-money with broad merchant acceptance but limited base reward — the reward comes from the funding card or, for JR East, from registered Mobile Suica ride points. WAON electronic money earns WAON POINT at AEON-group and participating merchants when member-registered, and Mobile Suica can be added to Apple Pay. nanaco electronic money earns points at Seven & i, and accumulated nanaco points convert into e-money. The key discipline across all of these: they are primarily closed-loop stored value, and you must never assume that charging them with an arbitrary card earns that card’s points — only specifically eligible funding routes qualify. Older materials also blur “WAON electronic money points” and “WAON POINT,” which are different things.
Who this is for
- General users of transit and store e-money
What this is not
- People expecting airline-transferable e-money value
- Charging e-money with a card does not guarantee card points — verify the funding route.
Frequently asked questions
Can any card charge e-money and earn card points?
No. Suica, WAON, or nanaco may accept the card while the issuer excludes the charge from rewards. Only specifically eligible funding routes earn card points, so never assume an arbitrary card-to-e-money charge earns points — verify the route.
WAON or nanaco — what is the difference?
WAON POINT is AEON’s loyalty currency (earned at AEON-group stores, ~two-year maximum life), while nanaco is Seven & i’s system (earned at Seven-Eleven and Ito-Yokado, points convert to nanaco e-money). Both distinguish the loyalty point from the stored-value electronic money of the same name, and both are largely closed-loop.