All Nippon Airways Co. will launch a smartphone payment service by the end of this year, allowing frequent flyer members to accumulate miles through daily shopping amid shrinking travel demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, sources close to the matter said Monday.
ANA will join a growing number of companies in Japan entering cashless payment services via smartphones. Teaming up with major Japanese credit card issuer JCB Co., the airline hopes its “ANA Pay,” using a QR code system, will make it easier for customers to make purchases at drugstores, supermarkets and other shops.
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The mobile payment platform will use JCB’s unique QR code standard, the sources said. If customers top up with a compatible JCB card and make a payment, they will receive 6 to 16 miles per 1,000 yen ($10).
With the prolonged virus spread continuing to weigh on its earnings, ANA has been trying to find ways to make profits utilizing data of its frequent flyer members.
ANA Holdings Inc., ANA’s parent company, said in late October that it is expecting a record net loss of 510 billion yen in the current business year through March due to depressed air travel amid the pandemic.
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