On the 2nd, the JR Group announced that it would be discontinuing round-trip tickets. Why is this "bargain service" that offers a 10% discount on round-trip fares going away? On social media, various reactions have been expressed, such as "it's sad" and "it will be a big loss." ■ Bargain "round-trip discount" to be abolished Purchases fall due to the spread of online reservations On December 2nd, the JR Group announced the abolition of "round-trip discount" tickets. On social media, there were many voices expressing regret over the abolition of the discount. Reactions on social media: "I am against the abolition of round-trip tickets" "I used to use it often to go back home since I was little, so it's sad to see it abolished" "I used it every time I went back to my parents' house, so it's simply a big loss" Meanwhile... Office worker (53): "I've been riding (the Shinkansen) for over 10 years, maybe 20 years" -- But what about round-trip tickets? "I didn't know that," said an office worker in his 70s. "I'd never heard of it before. If I'm going 600 kilometers, I'll just fly." Many people don't know about JR's "round trip discount," a service that offers a 10% discount on fares for round trips of 601 kilometers or more one way. But how much cheaper does it actually cost? For example, if you're traveling round trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima, a one-way ticket costs 11,880 yen, but if you buy a ticket for the outbound trip and a return trip separately, it will be twice as much, at 23,760 yen. With the round trip discount, that amount is reduced by 10%, so it comes to 21,380 yen, a saving of 2,380 yen. Housewife (50): "It's a 10% discount for a round trip, right? I don't feel like I'm getting a good deal." Woman (19): "If it's even a little cheaper, I think it's a good deal." Used round trip discount in the past Office worker (60): "I used it about 5 years ago from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori. At that time, my aunt who went with me hated flying, so we took the Shinkansen." At stations on the border between the 601 km distance that is eligible for the discount and the 601 km distance that is eligible for the discount, you can see the following. From Tokyo to Shin-Kobe, the ticket costs 9,460 yen one way, and twice as much, 18,920 yen for a round trip. If you go to the neighboring city of Nishi-Akashi, it is more than 601 km from Tokyo, so it is eligible for the round trip discount and is 1,300 yen cheaper than Shin-Kobe. For this reason, many people buy round trip tickets to Nishi-Akashi even if they are only going to Shin-Kobe. However, the JR Group has announced that it will end the round trip discount in March 2026. The reason for the end of the sale is that the number of tickets sold has decreased due to the spread of transportation IC cards and online reservation services. Suit is a travel YouTuber with 1.15 million subscribers. He uses many round-trip discounts to promote the appeal of railways across the country. Why will the advantageous "round-trip discount" disappear? Suit will explain in detail. ■ There are many discounts other than the "round-trip discount" On the other hand, even with the spread of "ticketless"... Caster Shohei Fujimori: If you travel round-trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima, the regular ticket price is 23,760 yen. If you use the round-trip discount, it will be 21,380 yen, which is 2,380 yen cheaper. This round-trip discount will disappear in 2026. Suit: I was surprised too. This is an actual ticket with a round-trip discount between Tokyo and Hiroshima. It says "return discount", and the top is the ticket for the outbound trip and the bottom is the ticket for the return trip. The round-trip discount is basically applied without exception if the distance is over 601 km, but it seems that this will not be a discount after 2026. Caster Fujimori: So there are other discount services. Suit: There are really a wide variety of discounts. For example, if you make a reservation online 21 days before the date of travel, you can get a discount of 4,760 yen per one-way trip from Tokyo Station to Hiroshima Station (not applicable during the New Year holidays). However, there are some differences from the previous system, such as limited seats, but there are discount tickets called special promotional tickets. Naomi Trauden: I often go back to Kyoto, where my parents live, and I use Smart EX because it is convenient. It is very convenient because I don't have to transfer. Caster Fujimori: There are three ways to buy Shinkansen tickets: at the Midori window, ticket vending machine, and online. In August 2024, during the Obon holiday rush, there was a line at the Midori window in Okayama Prefecture, and some people waited for 40 minutes. I feel like