Don’t fall for overpriced train tickets in Japan via Klook – use SmartEX instead

18 comments

1. I see this app recommended often but it doesn’t seem to available in the UK. Any alternative or is it just best to buy in person?

2. I believe you need physical card for collecting a few passes. So don’t use the virtual ones (for revolut).

3. Hmm from my experience, Klook’s pricing is quite similar to what is being advertised in Japan to me though? 😳😳😳 I remember paying really competitive prices and my experiences have so far been positive.

   The Shinkansens that I purchased were usually the Nozomi Shinkansen going on the Tokaido Shinkansen route (Tōkyō-Kyōto-Ōsaka).

4. Just avoid using Klook in general.

   I had a terrible experience when I had an issue. They said they would look into it and respond within 3 days, then never responded, and the time lapsed on my tickets.

   Avoid them like the plague. Ended up rebooked directly through the supplier, and it was cheaper and had flexibility.

   I will never use klook ever again.

5. Reserving tickets in the smartex website can even be cheaper than unreserved tickets. Using the Hayatoku-21/28 discounts, it does save you some money

6. Sometimes Klook is just more convenient when SmartEX won’t accept your credit card….

7. By all means use the Smart-ex app. It’s great.

   I just returned from a trip, half of which was over Golden Week. Two adults and two kids (couldn’t add the tickets to their physical Suicas).

   I bought (half of our) tickets the day before the trip at the train station with no issues. Four tickets all together, on the side of the train I wanted.

8. I used Klook for JR passes around Kansai area and 0 issues. not only that, they even gave me a 3GB eSim for free and I used a coupon that allowed me to save 30€ compares to the official site since It was my first purchase.

   That said, generally you should always compare prices of everything you book, that includes train / flight bookings, hotels, etc.

   Just remember Klook offers services sold by third parties, like eSims, tours, etc. You shouldnt have issues with JR passes since they third party in this case is Japan Railways directly but its not the same case for tours/eSims etc. In those cases, most likely tech support will be bad.

   Cheapest price will be always be JR ticket office directly (if the line is covered by them). Sometimes there will be 1-2-3 day passes available for different areas (example, Hakone free Pass) so its worth investigating beforehand since they can also include bus /ferry fares.

9. I used Klook for JR passes around Kansai area and 0 issues. not only that, they even gave me a 3GB eSim for free and I used a coupon that allowed me to save 30€ compares to the official site since It was my first purchase.

   That said, generally you should always compare prices of everything you book, that includes train / flight bookings, hotels, etc.

   Just remember Klook offer services sold by third parties, like eSims, tours, etc. You shouldnt have issues with JR passes since they third party in this case is Japan Railways directly but its not the same case for tours/eSims etc. In those cases, most likely tech support will be bad.

   Cheapest price will be always be JR ticket office directly (if the line is covered by them). Sometimes there will be 1-2-3 day passes available for different areas (example, Hakone free Pass) so its worth investigating beforehand since they can also include bus /ferry fares.

10. Klook is overpriced but you’re paying for the convenience. Klook and other booking agencies buy tickets in bulk from railway companies in advance and then onsell them to customers. On Klook or via agencies you can buy online months in advance and on native language websites which support local payment systems. Japan railway websites generally only start selling tickets 3 weeks in advance, are in japanese and require a Japanese credit card. (I admit this is not true all of the time but in principal this what to expect) So booking via Klook or an agency will be marked up but 1. It’s possible to do it way earlier than usual. 2. You can do it in your native language. 3. Simple payments. I would say the biggest downside which I don’t know if you’ve mentioned is that the tickets booked via agencies aren’t transferrable or refundable the way tickets bought directly from the company are.

11. I agree, much cheaper!!

12. Smart-ex never worked for me. Tried about 4 times across several days with two credit cards. It always threw an error at the final checkout step. I tried web and mobile. Safari Firefox Chrome and iOS app. Nothing worked.

    Gave up and saw comments saying some tickets are available on JRWest and yep they were. It took me 5 min and no pain to buy JR West tickets

13. I will be going on a similar length trip, so this is super helpful.
    Would you mind sharing your itinerary?

14. This sub in a nutshell:

    Post 1 – “Use this thing!”
    Post 2 – “Don’t use that thing!”
    Post 3 – “Go there!”
    Post 4 – “Don’t go there!”
    Post 5 – “Do this!”
    Post 6 – “Don’t do that!”

    … you know what, I guess I’ll just wing it and I’m sure I’ll be fine

15. Excellent advice! It’s definitely cheaper as you cut out the middle man. Let me add a quick tip to make overall transport easier even on subways and stuff.

    You are able to purchase a Suica card via the Wallet app on iOS without needing a physical Suica. Additionally, this allows you to top up via Apple Pay, removing the need to use the machines which require cash in the stations. This helps save quite a bit of time, and we tend to do top ups while walking to the stations once we notice the stored value drops below ¥1,000. We have used this Suica in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Okayama without any issues whatsoever.

    You are also able to access the Suica card number in the Wallet app. This allows you to add your iOS Suica to the SmartEx app, which is absolutely huge! This means that, not only do you not need to have the tiny, easily lost paper tickets on hand, you are able to use the Suica card to enter and exit the Shinkansen station. We even added the Suica as the Express Travel card and everything was a breeze.

    Do note also that the SmartEx app is able to register multiple Suica so I have it registered for myself and my wife. As such, when needful, I’ll purchase the tickets for us both on my account and assign the booking to both our cards. In minutes, these bookings are complete and registered to our cards. I typically like to book trains about 15 mins out so I have time to walk to the platform slowly and purchase some food. Just tap the still locked phone and you’re ready to go!

    Last bit of advice as OP mentioned both Osaka and Kyoto. We used to take the Shinkansen between these cities. We never thought too much about it. ¥2,600 didn’t feel like a huge amount to pay and the timing seemed good at 20 to 30 minutes from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.

    This year, we found out about the Hankyu trains from Shijo and the Keihan trains from Gojo (where our usual hotels are located). We chose to take the Hankyu from Shijo in Kyoto, and we were lucky to catch the Limited Express to Umeda (where the next hotel was). The total train journey was around 35 minutes, we got some great views, the train stopped at exactly the right station for us with no need to change, and the cost was a fraction of the price at less than ¥700. Plus departures around around once every 6 to 10 mins at peak times.

16. I booked some tickets using klook like sky tower etc. So far when I compared prices there was no apparent ripoff

17. Just a note — I had to use my Amex card to book my tickets with the SmartEx app. My Chase Sapphire Preferred card did not seem to have the “3D authentication” feature required to buy tickets from SmartEX.

18. SmartEX only works with certain credit cards. I tried to buy using my chase sapphire and it didn’t work. The smartEX 3d verification doesn’t work with visa. We tried it on my wifes citi card too. The app allows you to add your card to the account, but when your purchase, its an error. I tried the actual webpage and the app. Klook was my only option