Were Smart Cards A Dumb Idea?
In recent months, several organizations have been introducing what is being called “e-money” into the Japanese marketplace. Touted as the beginning of the end of paper money and coins, several trial systems are currently being tested, and among them Visa’s VisaCash card is being put through its paces in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. CJ recently sent Thomas Caldwell shopping to see how easy – or difficult – it is to use this new form of legal tender. Here is his report and analysis. Off to the market we go It took me a couple of weeks to find someone who was actually using Visa’s e-money scheme. The lady I was finally able to recruit to assist me in my experiment was a long-time user of the VisaCash system who worked in Shibuya. At our initial meeting, she told me of her experiences with electronic money. Most places, I was told, did not seem very enthusiastic. Some merchants had accidentally charged her credit account instead of her e-money account (e-cash was initially incorporated into t
