Suica, PASMO and ICOCA: Japan's IC Cards Explained for Visitors

Short answer: get one IC card and use it for almost every local train, subway and bus ride. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA all work in each other's areas, so the brand barely matters. If you have an iPhone, add a Suica or PASMO to Apple Wallet, or use the Welcome Suica Mobile app. Otherwise, buy a physical card when you land. Just remember that an IC card is a way to pay local fares. For the shinkansen you still need a ticket or a booking.

Working on Japan's railways, I watch thousands of IC cards go through the gates every day. Here's what actually matters, plus the mistakes I see visitors make most often.

What an IC card is, and where it works

An IC card is a rechargeable smart card. You load money onto it, tap it on the reader at the ticket gate when you go in and again when you come out, and the correct fare is taken off automatically. No working out fares, no paper tickets.

Each region has its own card: Suica (JR East) and PASMO (Tokyo's subways and private railways) in the Tokyo area, ICOCA (JR West) in Osaka and Kyoto, TOICA and manaca around Nagoya, and so on. Ten major cards are part of a nationwide mutual-use scheme: Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken. In practice, this means a Suica bought in Tokyo also works on trains in Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.

Two limits to know:

• You can't ride across the boundary between card areas in one trip. For example, you can't tap in at Tokyo and tap out in Sendai or Nagoya. Each area works on its own, and for longer trips you buy a ticket.
• Shopping in PiTaPa areas. Welcome Suica can't be used at shops in PiTaPa areas (parts of Kansai). Trains are fine.

Physical card or phone?

iPhone: this is the easiest option. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA can all live in Apple Wallet, and you top them up with Apple Pay. According to Apple, PASMO and ICOCA need an iPhone 8 or later on the latest supported iOS. Set Express Mode on, and you can tap your phone at the gate without unlocking it.

Android: this is harder at the time of writing (October 2026). Suica and PASMO in Google Wallet need a phone that's Osaifu-Keitai compatible. That's a Japanese mobile wallet standard, so in practice it mostly means phones sold in Japan. Most phones bought abroad can't add a Japanese IC card. JR East and Samsung have announced that Welcome Suica Mobile will come to Samsung Galaxy phones in the first half of 2027, but that isn't available yet. For now, most Android users should buy a physical card.

Visitor cards: Welcome Suica, Welcome Suica Mobile and PASMO PASSPORT

• Welcome Suica (physical card). This is JR East's visitor card. There's no deposit, and you buy it loaded with ¥1,000, ¥2,000, ¥3,000, ¥4,000, ¥5,000 or ¥10,000. It's valid for 28 days, counting the day you buy it (ignore the "GOOD THRU" date on the back). Any balance left at the end is not refunded. At the time of writing, it's sold at dedicated machines at Narita Airport and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 stations, and at JR EAST Travel Service Centers at the airports and at major stations such as Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Shibuya and Yokohama. You can top it up with cash only. Credit cards can't be used.
• Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone app). This is a digital Suica you set up in JR East's app. It's valid for 180 days, you top it up with Apple Pay, and as with the card, any balance left is non-refundable. You must be 13 or older to use it. Some countries restrict downloading the app or topping up, so you may only be able to finish setting it up after you land. It also works with JR East's Touch de Go! Shinkansen service for non-reserved seats on JR East shinkansen lines.
• PASMO PASSPORT is no longer sold. Older guides still mention it, but PASMO now points visitors to the regular PASMO.

For where to buy Welcome Suica, how long it lasts and the cautions to know, see our full Welcome Suica guide.

Regular Suica and PASMO: deposit and refunds

Standard physical Suica and PASMO cards went back on sale in March 2025 after a chip shortage. Both include a ¥500 deposit, which you get back when you return the card.

When you return the card, the refund is your remaining balance minus a ¥220 handling fee, plus the ¥500 deposit. If your balance is ¥220 or less, you get only the deposit back. So the smart move is to spend the balance down at a convenience store before you hand the card in, or just keep it for your next trip.

One catch: a Suica can only be refunded at JR East stations. A PASMO is refunded at the railway and bus companies in the PASMO network, such as Toei subway stations. If your trip ends in Osaka, you won't be able to return a Tokyo card there.

Comparison at a glance

Topping up

• At stations: any ticket machine or fare adjustment machine with the IC mark. Physical cards are topped up with cash (yen) only.
• At convenience stores: ask at the register, or for Welcome Suica, use a Seven Bank ATM inside 7-Eleven.
• On buses: many buses let you top up a PASMO on board, in ¥1,000 units with ¥1,000 notes only.
• On a phone: top up in Wallet with Apple Pay.

The maximum balance is ¥20,000, so machines won't let you go over that. For a typical week in Tokyo and Kyoto, topping up ¥2,000–3,000 at a time is plenty.

Beyond trains: buses, shops, vending machines and lockers

The same card works on most city buses (tap the reader by the driver; in Kyoto you usually pay as you get off), at convenience stores, at many station shops and restaurants, at drinks vending machines with the IC logo, and at many coin lockers. At a locker, the card often works as your "key". Tap it to lock the locker, then tap it again to open it, so don't lose it.

Many Tokyo, Kansai and Fukuoka lines also let you tap a contactless credit card at the gate instead. See which trains accept contactless cards.

When an IC card is not enough

• Shinkansen and limited express trains. Tapping in with balance only covers the basic fare on ordinary trains. Limited express, express and Green Car rides need a separate ticket. On the shinkansen, the IC-card options are booking services: smartEX for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, where you link your card to an account and the fare goes on your credit card, and Touch de Go! Shinkansen for non-reserved seats on JR East lines, which needs a free one-time registration. See our shinkansen guide.
• Long trips between regions. Because of the area boundaries, Tokyo to Kyoto or Tokyo to Sendai needs a proper ticket or a rail pass.
• Passes are separate. A Tokyo Subway Ticket covers Tokyo Metro and Toei subways but not JR lines like the Yamanote Line. Pay for those with your IC card. In Kansai, Metro passes don't cover the JR Osaka Loop Line. See our Kyoto and Osaka guide.

Common mistakes I see at the gate

• Not tapping out. Always tap when you leave, even at an unstaffed station or a transfer gate between companies. If a trip isn't closed, the gate will stop you next time. Go to the staffed window and we'll fix it.
• Not enough balance. If your fare is more than what's on the card, the exit gate closes. Don't worry. Use the fare adjustment machine (look for "Fare Adjustment") just inside the gates, top up, and tap out.
• Two cards in one wallet. Holding a wallet with two IC cards, or with a contactless credit card, to the reader can cause errors. Tap one card at a time.
• Tapping too fast. Hold the card flat on the reader for a moment until you hear the beep.

Arriving soon? Our Haneda train guide shows where to pick up a card at the airport, and the Narita and Haneda ticket guides cover the trip into the city. Make sure your phone has data too, with our eSIM and Wi-Fi guide.