Nanaco
Encyclopedia
nanaco is a prepaid
and rechargeable contactless electronic money
card used in 7 Eleven convenience store
s in Japan.
Supplied by IY Card Service Co., a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Co.
, nanaco is available as nanaco card (plastic card) and nanaco mobile (Osaifu-Keitai
application for mobile phones with embedded contactless chip).
The Nanaco format also features a postpay function (on the QUICPay scheme), which will be made available for users subscribing to an IY Credit Card during the summer of 2007. Purchases with nanaco earn points, which can later be used to make more purchases. The cards uses Sony
's FeliCa
technology, which is also used in a wide variety of contactless smart cards including Suica
, Edy
, and PASMO
. Services began on April 23, 2007 and the number of members is more than 3.8 million as of end-June 2007.
"Nana" means "seven" in Japanese
, and the giraffe's head and neck is in the shape of the number "7," in reference to "7-Eleven" and "Seven & i Holdings."
The number of Nanoco cards stood at 5.9 million at the end of May 2000.
Nanaco can be used at more than 7,000 stores outside the company's group, especially those that are JCM affiliated shops.
The “nanaco card” issued by Seven-Eleven Japan had become the most frequently used e-wallet within three months after it was introduced in April 2007.
Stored-value card
A stored-value card refers to monetary value on a card not in an externally recorded account and differs from prepaid cards where money is on deposit with the issuer similar to a debit card...
and rechargeable contactless electronic money
Electronic money
Electronic money is money or scrip that is only exchanged electronically. Typically, this involves the use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems...
card used in 7 Eleven convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
s in Japan.
Supplied by IY Card Service Co., a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Co.
Seven & I Holdings Co.
is a diversified retail group headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Founded originally in 1920 as Ito-Yokado, Seven & I is now the fifth largest retailer in the world, with 35,000 stores in approximately 100 countries.-History:...
, nanaco is available as nanaco card (plastic card) and nanaco mobile (Osaifu-Keitai
Osaifu-Keitai
, literally meaning "Wallet Mobile", is a trademark of NTT DoCoMo, which developed the system. It refers to mobile phones that integrate Sony's Mobile FeliCa ICs, as well as to services provided by applications on these phones....
application for mobile phones with embedded contactless chip).
The Nanaco format also features a postpay function (on the QUICPay scheme), which will be made available for users subscribing to an IY Credit Card during the summer of 2007. Purchases with nanaco earn points, which can later be used to make more purchases. The cards uses Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's FeliCa
FeliCa
FeliCa is a contactless RFID smart card system from Sony in Japan, primarily used in electronic money cards. The name stands for Felicity Card...
technology, which is also used in a wide variety of contactless smart cards including Suica
Suica
is a rechargeable contactless smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. Launched in November 2001, the card is usable currently in the Kantō region, at JR East stations near Sendai and Niigata...
, Edy
Edy
Edy provided by bitWallet, Inc. in Japan is a prepaid rechargeable contactless smart card. It uses Sony's FeliCa technology, also used by the competing Suica/Pasmo cards by JR East. While the name derives from euro, dollar, and yen, it works with yen only.On April 18, 2006, Intel announced a five...
, and PASMO
PASMO
is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport introduced in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18, 2007.Pasmo is a development of the system used by many non JR railway lines in the Tokyo region...
. Services began on April 23, 2007 and the number of members is more than 3.8 million as of end-June 2007.
"Nana" means "seven" in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and the giraffe's head and neck is in the shape of the number "7," in reference to "7-Eleven" and "Seven & i Holdings."
The number of Nanoco cards stood at 5.9 million at the end of May 2000.
History of Nanaco
Nanaco was launched in April 2007 to approximately 1,500 Seven Eleven Japan (SEJ) stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area. In May 2007, the service was fully extended to all SEJ stores. By February 2008, Nanaco was accepted at all Denny's restaurants in Japan and by May 2008, nanaco cards were all welcomed by all Ito-Yokado stores in Japan.Nanaco can be used at more than 7,000 stores outside the company's group, especially those that are JCM affiliated shops.
The “nanaco card” issued by Seven-Eleven Japan had become the most frequently used e-wallet within three months after it was introduced in April 2007.