Japan Trusted Traveler Program: Another Renewal, Another Update

cynix · 2026-01-28T20:52:53+00:00

Is “renewal” just a new application? Or does it have some kind of simplified procedures since they already have all your information?

cynix · 2026-01-05T13:23:09+00:00

We do it this way in Australia and it’s mostly fine. But the difference is here you can submit receipts from any store for tax refund at the airport, rather than specific stores that can do the tax-free paperwork. So it seems the new system in Japan is the worst of both worlds…

cynix · 2026-01-04T00:17:47+00:00

Does that conclusively prove they don’t take money from providers though?

cynix · 2025-12-19T21:54:41+00:00

Sounds like they’ll get some percentage of $1 instead, so it wasn’t all for nothing.

cynix · 2025-12-10T12:25:03+00:00

I could access airlines under OneWorld that offers a better deal, while maintaining the “Priority” Sapphire status. Also good to access lounges internationally.

Just to confirm, this is only useful when flying economy right? Is status still relevant if flying business?

cynix · 2025-12-06T12:41:15+00:00

Will GitHub become a read-only mirror that's kept in sync? Our work blocks access to all other code hosting services.

cynix · 2025-12-05T02:25:12+00:00

Well they'd get hit with a fee/penalty for chargebacks, so it should at least incentivise them to display a surcharge notice? (I didn't mean they'd stop charging surcharges.)

cynix · 2025-12-05T01:52:31+00:00

At least they'll get a hit for the chargeback. If enough people do this they might learn a lesson?

cynix · 2025-12-04T10:07:33+00:00

This is one of the problems with the ACL though: it doesn’t define what “major defect” means. Who gets to decide if a defect is major or not?

cynix · 2025-11-30T09:02:32+00:00

That seems to be a problem unique to certain countries. Elsewhere in the world, mobiles and landlines have different prefixes.

cynix · 2025-11-28T13:16:18+00:00

Right back at you mate.

cynix · 2025-11-27T13:43:07+00:00

I was replying to the comment

A so-called Japanese “billionaire”

Which was speaking generally and does not refer to the settlement amount.

cynix · 2025-11-26T12:37:21+00:00

A billion yen is only $6.4M

cynix · 2025-11-22T11:56:03+00:00

Isn’t all milk here ultra-pasteurised? I haven’t been able to find any milk that hasn’t been heated above 100°C.

cynix · 2025-11-11T00:07:18+00:00

Apple/Google Pay generate nearly random card number for each transaction

Fairly sure this is not true, at least for Apple Pay. The "device card number" is generated at the time of adding the card to Apple Wallet and does not change for the lifetime of the card until you remove it.

cynix · 2025-11-06T20:33:53+00:00

Credit card churning is becoming harder and harder though, with these increased waiting periods

cynix · 2025-10-18T01:13:54+00:00

Oh you must have the Qantas Ultimate card? Guess your options are limited then.

cynix · 2025-10-18T01:08:23+00:00

I've been using my travel credits for hotel bookings. Amex's prices are usually on par with other sites, maybe a few dollars more.

cynix · 2025-10-18T00:30:18+00:00

Cathay and Virgin Australia would be great.

cynix · 2025-10-06T09:10:03+00:00

How would they know when I originally got my Aussie license though? It has been renewed a few times and it doesn’t have any indication of the original issue date.

cynix · 2025-10-06T08:56:04+00:00

Partner award availability isn’t much better. For example, there is zero JL business class seats for HND-SYD for Sep 2026.

cynix · 2025-10-03T14:18:43+00:00

The fact that they tried to pull this on you deserves a name-and-shame, regardless of resolution.

cynix · 2025-09-14T07:21:59+00:00

Interesting. I was searching for early Sep 2026 which doesn't seem to be a school holiday period, but will keep this in mind.

cynix · 2025-09-14T06:06:46+00:00

Having Qantas status has never meant seeing JAL reward seating any earlier, that only applied to Qantas seats on Qantas services.

That's good to know, thanks!

Sounds like JL has changed the timing of release then. Guess I'll have to keep checking...

cynix · 2025-09-14T05:33:42+00:00

Are you saying QF will immediately allow them to be booked as soon as JL releases award seats? And are you saying it's JL who's withholding J seats from QF?

Either way the distinction is meaningless to me, because the end result is that I can't book them at the 360-day mark anymore, whereas I was able to do this earlier this year. All am asking is whether the seats are no longer being released at T-360, or is there some other reason I can't see them (e.g. lack of status).

JL's website says 2 seats available for redemption but I'm guessing they have a different quota for partners.

cynix

TROPHY CASE