There is one option that comes up when clicking “traffic” in your Line Pay wallet called iPass Money
Has anybody used it or knows what’s that?
Is it like the iPass card used for public transportation? Can I load it in my smartphone and use its NFC when taking the MRT instead?
the service is called 一卡通MONEY and you can use it for pay public transportation in some buses , MRT , light rail , ferry . I believe Taipei metro is not included yet
From their original FAQ website:
乘車碼可以在哪裡使用？Where can the ride code be used?
捷運：高雄捷運、桃園捷運 MRT: Kaohsiung MRT, Taoyuan MRT
輕軌：淡海輕軌、高雄輕軌 Light Rail: Danhai Light Rail, Kaohsiung Light Rail
公車：瀏覽適用公車客運路線 Some bus lines
渡輪：高雄市渡輪鼓山-旗津航線 Kaohsiung City Ferry Gushan-Cijin Route
You dont need NFC , the app is going to display a QR Code
sources and more info:
The "Traffic (interesting translation) button will ask you to enter your LinePay passcode and then will generate a QR code to scan when you are boarding and alighting buses/MRT/tram in Kaohsiung. It doesn’t work anywhere else, as much as I know. The price will be charged to your LinePay credit (i.e. iPass Money), which you can top up via linked bank account or via others transferring money to you via LinePay.
Oh sorry, for the tram you only scan it once and you will be auto-charged NT$10 regardless of the destination. Don’t be fooled by the machine: it doesn’t come with the “classic” QR code reader, but just with a lens on top that one (i.e. me) would easily miss out.
So I guess it also doesn’t have the monthly all pass ticket, which is what I use the most.
Hopefully, it will get implemented one day!
There is a discount for those who use LinePay compared to the regular ticket, but yes it’s pay as you go. In Kaohsiung the MRT gantries were refitted a couple of years ago to add a QR code reader. Those in Taichung, although the MRT line was completed after the launch of LinePay, don’t have this function and Taipei/Taoyuan’s were never refitted. My guess is that since LinePay has a partnership with iPass (Kaohsiung) and not with Easycard (Taichung, Taoyuan, Taipei), the public transport that operates with the latter does not accept it for payments.
Ipass is very confusing. I had my account deactivated for not using I guess. Anyway trying to reactivate and get non suspended has turned into a headache.
Jokpay in the other hand was Really simple. Now I use that to transfer money.
Anyone else had a problem with Line Pay. And their customer service REALLY sucks.
Everything about Line just sucks in general. Even the app itself. I don’t understand how it became so widespread in Taiwan, over WhatsApp.
I wish I could just uninstall the app and never use it again, but people here insist on communicating with it.
You just installed a want that I didn’t have, “To vaporize line”. I now share your wish. I think it is popular here because of all those Teddy Bear stickers etc.
JP, it is the main communication app in JP, so it became the same in TW.
It sucks, I don’t like it at all too.
Among the comments, users highlighted two key factors: “free calls” and “early introduction to Taiwan.” Some attributed LINE’s success to television advertisements and the appeal of free calling, while others pointed out that the timing was right. It was also noted that LINE emerged during the era when MSN was fading out and smartphones were becoming popular. The availability of free stickers and the large user base were cited as additional reasons for LINE’s success.
Furthermore, some users emphasized the significance of LINE’s sticker feature, stating that it has become a habit for many people to use them. They mentioned that LINE’s free stickers, early entry into the market, and the cuteness of the stickers played a major role in its popularity.
However, there were also individuals who mentioned alternative apps like Telegram, expressing that they use it instead of LINE. They claimed that Telegram surpasses LINE and that LINE is primarily used in Taiwan and Japan. Criticism was also raised regarding LINE’s file transfer feature, which has an expiration date.
source:
iPass Money is for more than traffic. It was originally stored value that could be used as a payment option instead of a credit card on LinePay. A few years ago, they split it off into it’s own thing, still within the LinePay feature of the Line Wallet feature of the Line app. I used the original option and briefly the separated version before I got a credit card. It works the same way and you can get Line points, unless that has changed.
I’ve just set up iPass Money via the Line app. I tried to do it a few days ago but it wouldn’t verify and said I had to wait. Then I couldn’t complete registration so I had to do it again tonight with a new username.
When I tried to verify via my CTBC credit card which has the iPass functionality stated, it failed. So I had to use my CTBC bank account instead and I was able to complete registration.
I mainly set it up so that I could pay my bills without having to go to the convenience store. Now I’ve realised that I can also pay bills via CTBC Home Bank app, so iPass Money has somewhat become redundant for me. I guess it will only be useful if I use any of the public transportation services mentioned or if my other cards get blocked as read elsewhere. Then again, I can just use my respective debit/credit cards that have iPass Money or my EasyCard.
It was a learning experience and it will be interesting to see if anyone else struggles to use a credit card (especially from CTBC) to verify their account.
P.S. Refer to this post if you want to learn about the differences between iPass Money and EasyCard:
Just FYI, you can also pay at least some bills using JKOPay (off the top of my head, it worked for my electricity and water bills but not NHI).
For NHI I usually use the Mega Bank app or its Taiwan Pay feature (don’t ask me to explain the difference between the two because I have no idea, but when I last paid several days ago doing it directly in the app was free, whereas using Taiwan pay in the app had a small processing fee 
).
I think at least one or two of my cards have iPass, but I’ve never bothered setting it up — I don’t need any more confusion about Taiwanese payment methods in my life.
u can pay NHI premiums with Jkou, but it uses the bank account balance, can’t use the credit card top up. I did that some time ago to try. I goes straight through using the NHI app.
It was my bank account balance I was trying to use (this is my default setting). The app wouldn’t recognize either the QR code or the three separate barcodes. Will try again next time to check, if I remember.
ah, ok, nevere tried with the paper statements, only via using the NHI app, when selecting the unpaid premium you can choose to pay online and there are 3 options, jkou is one of them as mobile payment. if you do that it prompts u directly into the app with all payment details pre-filled in. very convenient.
Likewise, I’ve never tried using the NHI app to pay. 
(I’m probably not going to either, given that the hassle undoubtedly needed to switch to electronic payments probably isn’t justified for something that at the moment takes me 20 seconds every two months…)
If you want to use ePayment you just go to the corresponding app directly (iPass, JKO, etc.) and select NHI payment. It will use the balance that’s in your app. You don’t scan the barcode on the paper statements.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s worth it tbh. The NHI app isn’t the most convenient to use, whereas paying the paper bills with the Mega Bank app is fast and works just fine.
I don’t believe you need the NHI app for mobile payment. If you do, then it’s just for the initial setup.
Edit: Oh I missed the part where you said you usually pay via your bank app. Yeah that’s even better. I thought you were paying at 7-11 or something.
