RetireJapan

I have an SMBC Olive account with one of their Flexi cards that can work in 3 modes (Credit, Debit and Point). It uses the mobile app to switch modes.

I'm fairly sure when I first got it that switching to point mode was as simple at tapping that mode in the app. But back then I had no points to spend.
How I have a bunch of points expiring at the end of the month and I was gonna just switch my card to point mode and use it in the conbini, supermarket etc...

But now, in place of the Switch to point mode toggle, there's a thing about the Vpoints App. It appears that I need to download that and link it to my SMBC App (or possibly my V-Pass app, or possibly both, it's a ridiculously over-complicated system).

After lots of struggle, I finally got the V-Point app set up on phone (it has insanely weird and complicated requirements for entering English names).
But the SMBC app still tells me I need to link them, and when I try and do so it says that the account doesn't exist.

If I do successfully get them linked I can't tell if that will allow me to use my existing SBMC Olive Card in point mode, or if the V-Point app will make some kind of virtual V-Point card that I need to use Google/Apple pay to use through my phone. It implies the latter, and looks like it'll want me to upload Id Card photos (again!).

Does anyone have this successfully set up? Does it still work? Can you switch your Olive card to point mode in the SMBC app? Does it require creating an entirely new virtual V-point credit card in the V-point app?

If anyone has managed to figure this stuff out I'd much appreciate some pointers!

Hi RetroNewbie,

yes, I have figured it out - but it took a few loops.
All you describe is correct.
You need to setup the VPoints App on the phone and then link it starting from the Olive App.
Given the "corrupted" short name registration in the VPoints App, it didn't work out strait in my case. I then called SMBC and asked them to directly speak with the VPoints team. They did that directly (without me) and after two attempts the connection was made and it finally works as planned.
However there is still a Japo-loop flaw in the approach, as you would first need to load VPoints onto the App for spending. So they sit there until you use them and I personally hate those passive buckets where money or points don't accumulate interest.

Thus, my recommendation is a different one. Log into the Vpass Website via PC where you download your credit card bills monthly. There is a section for the use of VPoints and you can very easily and freely determine how many points you want to use, i.e. convert for various purposes. I just use cash back and it is then applied to the next monthly credit card invoice (which is reduced by the number of points=yen).
That saves me sending the points in the multi-bucket loop and I can precisely steer the cash back, hence I prefer this.

Thanks.

I finally got it set up in the end, though I'm not entirely sure how.

I now have to keep both apps on my phone, and load up my virtual v-points card with v-points from one v-points bucket to another using the v-points app. Which means I can only use them online (unless I can be bothered to set up the v-points app to work with google wallet).
It makes zero sense.

The thing was working out the exact weird name that it'd signed me up with, which I'm still not 100% sure of and could probably never re-create if it logs me out.