How to redeem JRE points to recharge Suica
From JRE point to Suica
JRE POINT is a loyalty program by JR East, where the points earned are also called JRE points. One of the uses of JRE points is to recharge it to Suica. At present, 1 JRE point = 1 yen, redemption is in units of 1 point, and up to 10,000 points per redemption.
The redemption has 2 major steps and needs both the JRE POINT app and the Mobile Suica app (not the same as the Apple Wallet app). We’ll need to have logged in to both apps, and have linked the Suica to the Mobile Suica app.
Step 1: Redeem JRE Points
From the landing page of the JRE POINT app, tap on the Menu icon in the top left. Select “Suica recharge application Suica チャージ申込み”, then select the linked Suica.
In the next screen, input the amount of JRE points to redeem (1) then tap the button to send the verification code (2). Retrieve the verification code from the email associated with the account. The email is titled 【JRE POINT】認証コードを通知します. Look for the 認証コード line. Input this code (3), and hit “Next 次へ” (4).
Verify the redemption details in the next screen (the Suica number and amount of JRE points redeemed), then hit “Apply 申込む”.
The next screen just says that this step is completed and describes the next step, which we’ll get to now.
Step 2: Recharge to Suica
Now we turn to the Mobile Suica app. A new red notification should have appeared saying “There’s an item in the Suica Pocket Suicaポケットが1件あります”, tap on it.
Look for the entry representing the JRE point redemption we just made, tap on it. In the next screen, verify the amount again and hit the green “Recharge it 入金（チャージ）する” button.
But wait there’s more! A pop-up dialogue will appear, this time showing the new Suica balance (ie, the balance after charging). Tap the “Recharge it 入金（チャージ）” button.
Now we’ve completed the recharge. The last screen that shows up confirms the recharge, and the Suica balance should be updated now.
Epilogue
It’s nice that JRE points are redeemable to Suica, but why it takes (checks notes) 12 taps to do a redemption is beyond me. Nevertheless, the entire redemption is all on mobile and there’s at least no waiting time involved (other than for the email with the verification code to arrive), so you can do it during a particularly boring part of the commute.
Note: I used the term “recharge” instead of “charge” (the literal translation of チャージ “chaaji”) to avoid the confusion between “putting money into” and “requesting money from” a card.
