According to a press release on its website, Fukuoka Jisho, the operator of Canal City Hakata, has begun accepting credit cards issued by Shinhan Card, Korea’s biggest credit card company. Shinhan Card is number one in Korea in both membership and transaction volume, and nearly 40% of its cards are proprietary cards that are not affiliated with Visa, Mastercard or other big-name credit card brands. Tokyo-based NTT Data and Fukuoka’s own Kyushu Card Co. have teamed up to create a network of member stores that will accept Shinhan Cards. This new network is slated to go into effect in January, with about 90 stores at Canal City taking part in the trial run. Since Koreans use credit cards for 65% of all purchases, spending by tourists is expected to increase if they can use their Shinhan Cards, which have better exchange rates, in Japan. The cards are scheduled to be accepted at Marinoa City Fukuoka, Riverwalk Kitakyushu and Konoha Mall Hashimoto starting on Feb. 2.
