teppay 20% Back Campaign: Up to 5,000 Points on QR Code Payments (Nov 4–Dec 25)

Last updated: October 7, 2026 (checked against teppay’s official campaign page and JR East’s October 6 press release)

If you live in Japan and use Suica, there’s a new payment option arriving in your phone. teppay is JR East’s own QR code payment service, and it lives inside the Mobile Suica app from October 20.

To mark the launch, JR East is running “Minna de teppay! 20% Point Rewards” from November 4 to December 25, 2026. Enter the campaign, pay ¥500 or more with teppay, and you get 20% back in teppay points, up to 5,000 points per person. It works at Smart Code merchants all over Japan, not just in the Tokyo area, so convenience stores, drugstores and restaurants are all fair game.

The rules are short, but it’s easy to miss points by paying before you enter or splitting purchases under ¥500. Here’s everything you need, including how to top up without a Japanese credit card.

What is teppay? How it differs from Suica

teppay is a QR/barcode payment service from JR East, rolling out from 11:00 on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. It isn’t a separate app. The feature is added automatically to the Mobile Suica app (about 45 million Mobile Suica cards have been issued), and you start using it once you accept the updated terms.

It works like PayPay: show a barcode at the register, or scan the store’s QR code. Compared with tapping Suica:

You can also send teppay balance to other users, top up Suica with it, or buy commuter passes. Mobile PASMO is scheduled to join in spring 2027. One catch: stores that take Suica and stores that take teppay are two different lists, so tapping Suica somewhere doesn’t mean teppay works there.

How much you get: ¥25,000 hits the cap

At 20% with a 5,000-point cap, ¥25,000 in total spending gets you the maximum. The official wording is “morenaku,” meaning everyone who meets the conditions gets the points.

Each payment has to be ¥500 or more, tax included. A ¥200 drink at a convenience store won’t count, so bundle small purchases.

How to enter (5 steps)

You don’t enter on a website. Entry happens in the teppay screen of the Mobile Suica app. The rules say you must enter before paying, so payments made before entry don’t count. The app shows the entry period as 2026/11/04–12/25.

1. Log in to Mobile SuicaOpen the Mobile Suica app and log in (you need a Mobile Suica membership).
2. Switch to teppayTap the teppay icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Open “Campaign”On the teppay home screen, tap “キャンペーン” (Campaign) near the bottom.
4. Pick this campaignTap the “みんなでteppay！20%還元” banner.
5. EnterTap “キャンペーンに参加する” (Join the campaign). Pay with teppay only after this.

Topping up: methods and limits

teppay is prepaid (except View Card linked payment, covered in the next section). There are four ways to add money, and all are free of charge:

• Bank account: about 600 institutions, including Mizuho, MUFG, SMBC, Japan Post Bank, Rakuten Bank and JRE BANK
• Cash: Seven Bank ATMs and Lawson Bank ATMs (not station ticket machines or VIEW ALTTE)
• Credit card: View Card only (View Cards with the “ii” mark and corporate cards are excluded). Other issuers’ cards can’t be used
• Balance sent to you by another user

No Japanese credit card? Cash at a Seven Bank or Lawson Bank ATM works. JRE POINT can’t be converted into teppay balance. Topping up requires SMS verification, and some methods may also ask for ID verification.

You might wonder whether you need a My Number Card check first. According to teppay’s official FAQ, you can top up the ¥25,000 this campaign needs without it:

Some banks and card issuers set their own lower limits. Source: teppay FAQ on charge limits per top-up, day and month.

Balance payment vs. View Card linked payment

teppay can take money from two places:

• teppay balance: pay from money you’ve topped up. Normally earns 0.5% in teppay points.
• View Card linked payment: charge a registered View Card directly, with no top-up needed, up to your card limit. Normally earns 1% in JRE POINT.

For this 20% campaign, the official condition simply says “code payment with teppay” and doesn’t distinguish between the two. Points-news site Poitan reports that both count. If you don’t have a View Card, paying from your balance is all you need.

Where you can use it

teppay works at JR East Group shopping facilities, stores showing the teppay mark, and 1.7 million+ locations nationwide with the Smart Code mark (as of March 2026). A selection from Smart Code’s official list of major merchants:

teppay says some stores are excluded, and this is Smart Code’s list, so not every store on it is guaranteed to count for the campaign. Search the official “Where to use” page, or look for the teppay or Smart Code sign at the register. The full merchant list is on Smart Code’s website.

Tips to get the full 5,000 points

• Enter on November 4. Payments before entry don’t count, and the campaign can end early if the budget runs out.
• Update the app and top up between October 20 and November 3, so you can pay from day one.
• Keep every payment at ¥500 or more. Combine small convenience-store purchases into one.
• Or make one big purchase. The rules don’t mention a per-transaction cap, so paying ¥25,000 in one go at an electronics store that accepts teppay earns 5,000 points. That’s something Suica’s ¥20,000 limit never allowed.
• Don’t cancel before the points arrive. Leaving teppay or Mobile Suica before points are granted forfeits them, and returned purchases don’t count.
• Use the points. They arrive 7 business days after each payment; check under “サービス一覧 ＞ 利用履歴（取引履歴）” (Services ＞ History). Limited-time points expire.

Other teppay campaigns running at the same time

JR East’s October 6 press release announced these alongside the 20% campaign. Each has its own conditions, so check the respective campaign page.

For teppay × JRE BANK “Tsunagete Tokutabi,” all three must be true on the judgment date, March 25, 2027:

• Your JRE BANK account is set as teppay’s top-up bank, with at least ¥100,000 in the ordinary deposit account
• A View Card is set as teppay’s payment card, and you’ve made at least one View Card linked payment during the campaign
• JRE POINT link registration (connecting your JRE BANK account to JRE POINT) is complete

The voucher is scheduled for early June 2027 and valid until August 31, 2027. For JRE BANK’s own perks, such as 40% off Shinkansen fares and the Dokokani Byuun discount, see my JRE BANK guide; for earning and using JRE POINT, see the JRE POINT guide.

📖 Read Guide

JRE BANK Copy code → Enter when opening account to get ¥1,100!

When you won’t get points

The campaign may also end early without notice once its budget is used up. teppay’s official campaign page has the latest terms.

FAQ

Q. Do I need a new app for teppay?

No. teppay is a feature of the Mobile Suica app. After October 20, update the app and accept the new terms to switch to it. If you only use Suica in Apple Wallet and aren’t a Mobile Suica member, you’ll need to download the app and register to join the campaign.

Q. Do payments made before entering count?

No. The rules require you to enter first and then pay with teppay, so enter as soon as the campaign starts on November 4.

Q. Does a ¥499 payment count?

No. Each payment must be ¥500 or more, tax included.

Q. Can I get all 5,000 points with a single ¥25,000 payment?

The rules give 20% of the amount paid with a cap of 5,000 points per person and don’t mention a per-transaction limit. Paying ¥25,000 at once at a store that accepts teppay earns 5,000 points.

Q. Does View Card linked payment count?

The official condition is code payment with teppay and doesn’t distinguish payment sources; Poitan reports that both balance and linked payments count. Without a View Card, just pay from your balance.

Q. Can I top up without a View Card?

Yes. Use a bank account at about 600 institutions, or cash at Seven Bank and Lawson Bank ATMs, with no fees. Credit card top-ups are limited to View Card.

Q. Do I need the My Number Card ID check to take part?

No. Without it you can still top up ¥100,000 a month from a bank account, more than the ¥25,000 needed for the cap. The ID check raises your balance limit to ¥300,000.

Q. When do the points arrive, and what can I use them for?

Seven business days after each payment. They’re limited-time teppay points worth ¥1 each, usable when paying from your teppay balance. They can’t be exchanged for JRE POINT.

Q. Can the campaign end early?

Yes. The official page says it may end without notice during the period once the budget runs out.

Q. If a store accepts Suica, does it accept teppay?

Not necessarily. Suica merchants and teppay merchants are separate. Look for the teppay or Smart Code sign at the register, or search the official store finder.