The new "V Point" reward point program was launched in Japan Monday through the merger of Culture Convenience Club's T-Point program and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's existing V Point program.

The combined number of subscribers to the two former programs was 154 million, the largest in Japan.

Competition among such point programs is expected to intensify as other operators are also strengthening their services.

Under the new V Point program, users can earn points for purchases at more than 150,000 T-Point partner stores and 7.5 million Visa partner stores in Japan, as well as for purchases made with Sumitomo Mitsui cards at some 100 million stores worldwide.

Existing point cards and dedicated apps will remain valid, and points from the two former programs can be integrated through ID linkage.

The T-Point program was launched in 2003 as a pioneering reward point program in Japan. Although widely recognized in the country, its payment options were limited and it was challenged by major telecommunication companies' programs with smartphone payment functions.

After the service integration, users can earn points through credit card payments and use points at more stores.

"A point program that allows users to use points in everyday life will definitely be chosen by customers," said a senior official of its operator.

Among other point programs, mobile carrier NTT Docomo has allowed its "d Point" reward points to be earned and used for shopping on Amazon, starting this month.

E-commerce giant Rakuten Group this month announced a plan to integrate its payment and point card apps to improve user convenience.