"Pocket Change" converts leftover foreign currency into everyday-use electronic money.
余った外貨が普段使いの電子マネーに変わる「Pocket Change」
海外渡航から帰国した後、手元に余った外貨の現金をどうしていますか?
今回は、日本のスタートアップ企業が提供する、海外旅行の際に余った外貨を電子マネーや各種ギフトコード、クーポン等に両替できるサービス「Pocket Change」について紹介します。
What do you do with the leftover foreign currency in cash after returning from an overseas trip?
This time, I will introduce "Pocket Change," a service offered by a Japanese startup that allows you to exchange leftover foreign currency from international trips into electronic money, various gift codes, coupons, etc.
It is often the case that small amounts of foreign currency are cumbersome to exchange, so they are either used for souvenirs and donations, or kept at home for a future trip, the date of which is uncertain.
"Pocket Change" is the solution to such a dilemma.
Although I had seen it several times at the airport and missed the opportunity to use it, I finally tried Pocket Change and had an impressive experience.
This video shows the actual process. I inserted about 30 foreign coins into the green Pocket Change machine and exchanged them for a PASMO card recharge.
Here is the receipt after the exchange. Until now, I had managed leftover foreign currency from overseas trips haphazardly, and honestly, I was in a state where I couldn't tell which coins were from which country.
しかし、このPocket Changeでは複数の外貨を同時に投入しても、一律で希望する電子マネーに交換することができます。おかげで雑多に突っ込んだウォン、ユーロ、ドルが566円分の交通系残高に変わりました!
However, with Pocket Change, you can insert multiple types of foreign currency at the same time and exchange them uniformly for the electronic money of your choice. Thanks to this, the assorted Won, Euros, and Dollars I put in turned into a transportation balance worth 566 yen!
This time I chose PASMO, but not only transportation electronic money, you can also exchange for Amazon gift vouchers, Google Play gift codes, and other types of electronic money that are commonly used. (※ This is in the case of exchanging for Japanese yen.)
Pocket Changeは日本円以外にも複数の国の通貨への交換も対応しており、USならスターバックスカード、中国ならWeChatPay、韓国はT-COIN(T-MONEY)などの交換先が選べるようです。
事前の登録も必要なく、動画のようにマシンに外貨を投入→交換先を選ぶ、だけの僅か2stepと簡単に利用できました。
Pocket Change supports exchanges not only to Japanese yen but also to currencies of multiple countries. For instance, in the US, you can choose a Starbucks card, in China, WeChat Pay, and in Korea, T-COIN (T-MONEY) as exchange options.
No prior registration is needed, and as shown in the video, the process is straightforward: just insert foreign currency into the machine and choose the exchange destination, a mere 2-step procedure.
(The only minor inconvenience is having to insert each coin one by one, but other than that, it offers a perfect UI/UX experience.)
The Japanese startup that developed Pocket Change
この「Pocket Change」を運営するのが、日本のスタートアップ、株式会社ポケットチェンジです。ポケットチェンジは、ハードウェアエンジニアとExit経験のある2人の起業家によって2015年に創業されました。
ポケットチェンジ社では、キャッシュレスの民主化を掲げて、外貨を電子マネーに変えるマシン「Pocket Change」以外にも、オリジナルの電子マネーを作れる「Pokepay」などのサービスを開発しています。
The Japanese startup, Pocket Change Inc., operates "Pocket Change." Founded in 2015 by two entrepreneurs, a hardware engineer and one with Exit experience, Pocket Change Inc. has been developing services not only limited to the "Pocket Change" machine, which converts foreign currency into electronic money, but also others like "Pokepay," which allows for the creation of original electronic money.
Japan's cashless payment rate
As of 2022, the rate of cashless payments in Japan was at 36%, a low level compared to other major countries, and the government is actively working to improve the cashless payment infrastructure. When Pocket Change Inc. was founded in 2015, this rate was at 18%.
The idea of Pocket Change was born from a combination of the hardware engineering experience of CEOs Mr. Matsui and Mr. Aoyama, and the concept of collecting and exchanging foreign currency.
In a dialogue where the two CEOs recounted their journey from the eve of founding the company, there are gritty startup-like episodes such as their first installation at an airport and anecdotes about taking the electronic money exchange terminal for certification using a handcart. Particularly memorable were the stories about the installation work at Kansai Airport late at night and the challenges faced during the introduction of local currencies. Additionally, their achievement in optimizing operations during the COVID-19 pandemic is noteworthy.
現在、ポケットチェンジ社はNVCC(日本ベンチャーキャピタル)や、鉄道会社グループのJR東日本スタートアップ社、グローバルWi-Fiなどを手掛ける上場企業のビジョン社などから資金調達を実施しています。
Currently, Pocket Change Inc. has raised funds from entities like NVCC (Japan Venture Capital), JR East Startup, a railway company group, and Vision Inc., a listed company known for handling Global Wi-Fi.
With the decrease in COVID-19's impact and an increase in tourism demand, both domestic and international travels are becoming more active.
ポケットチェンジには、ぜひ日本のキャッシュレス時代を先導し、また、余った外貨という、通常なら価値を失いがちな現金に再び価値を与えるというその利便性や価値ある活動が世界中に実感してもらえることを願っています。
I hope that Pocket Change will lead Japan into the era of cashlessness and also bring worldwide recognition to its convenience and valuable activity of giving new value to leftover foreign currency, which would normally tend to lose its worth.
参考
・キャッシュレス・ロードマップ2023 | 一般社団法人キャッシュレス推進協議会
https://paymentsjapan.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/roadmap2023.pdf
・株式会社ポケットチェンジ HP
https://about.pocket-change.jp/
・CEOたちのダイアログ | Pocket Change
https://about.pocket-change.jp/our-story/dialogue