Suica vs PASMO: Buying, Topping Up and Choosing Your Card

For ordinary sightseeing in Tokyo, you usually do not need both Suica and PASMO. They are rechargeable IC payment systems accepted across participating transport networks and shops. The useful decision is which version you can obtain, top up and manage: a regular card, a short-stay visitor card or a compatible mobile card. None is an unlimited travel pass simply because you put money on it.

This guide reflects the operators' information checked on 25 October 2026. It includes TOURIST PASMO, which launched in May 2026, and distinguishes the 28-day physical visitor cards from Welcome Suica Mobile's 180-day validity. Older advice about the card shortage or PASMO PASSPORT can send you looking for the wrong product.

Suica or PASMO: choose the version, not a winning brand

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Suica is associated with JR East, while PASMO is issued through the Tokyo area's participating private railway and bus network. Their mutual-use arrangements mean that a Suica is not restricted to JR trains and a PASMO is not restricted to the subway. Look for the operator's IC acceptance information and the relevant symbol; do not buy a second card merely because the next train belongs to another company.

Coverage is extensive, but it is not every railway, rural bus or shop in Japan. A card accepted on local services in Tokyo can also be useful within participating areas elsewhere, including Kansai. That does not create permission to make every continuous journey between separate IC areas using the stored balance.

Regular cards, visitor cards and mobile cards compared

The deposit on a regular physical card is not spending money. For example, a regular card costing ¥2,000 including its ¥500 deposit leaves ¥1,500 available to spend. This is an illustration of how the deposit works, not a statement that every machine sells only that starting amount.

Regular cards do not have the visitor products' 28-day clock. However, they should not be described as valid forever: the operators publish inactivity rules, including a ten-year period without use for regular cards. Keep the issuer and card type identifiable if you intend to retain one for another visit.

The old PASMO PASSPORT is no longer sold. TOURIST PASMO is the current visitor product introduced in 2026. The names are not interchangeable, and a guide discussing PASMO PASSPORT's old sales counters does not establish where to buy TOURIST PASMO today.

Where to buy a physical card on arrival

For regular Suica, check JR East sales information for the station you will use. Regular PASMO is sold by participating transport operators at appropriate machines or counters. Sales of non-personalised Suica and PASMO resumed in March 2025 after the earlier suspension, but this does not guarantee that every machine at every station issues every card type.

JR East lists physical Welcome Suica sales at Narita Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2·3 stations, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 on the Tokyo Monorail side, and selected travel service centres and other outlets. The airport's name alone is not enough: the railway operator and terminal matter. Check the current sales point and opening arrangements for your arrival.

TOURIST PASMO is sold through Keikyu at Haneda and Keisei at Narita. The operator lists traveller machines at Haneda Terminal 1·2 and a tourist information centre and traveller machine at Terminal 3. At Narita, its listed sales points are the Skyliner & Keisei Information Centers at the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations.

Purchase amounts and payment options differ by location. In particular, selected Haneda traveller machines accept credit cards for buying TOURIST PASMO. That does not mean you can later top up the physical card with a bank card at any machine. Buying a card and adding value to an existing card are separate transactions.

How to top up a physical Suica or PASMO

Plan to use yen cash for ordinary physical-card top-ups at compatible station machines. Look for the charging option and the relevant IC acceptance indication. Follow the machine's instructions, insert or place the card as required, choose an offered amount and collect the card, change and receipt if issued. The exact layout varies; do not treat one screenshot as a map of every machine.

Participating convenience stores can also add value; ask the cashier before handing over money. JR East identifies Seven Bank ATMs as another option for topping up Welcome Suica. Using an ATM to add yen cash to an IC card is different from withdrawing money from your bank account, so choose the appropriate function.

The ordinary stored-balance ceiling is ¥20,000. This is a technical limit, not a recommended amount for your holiday. Add enough for the journeys and small purchases you expect soon, then review the balance. A large final top-up on a non-refundable visitor card can leave money you will not use.

Using Suica or PASMO on an iPhone or Apple Watch

Apple Wallet can issue supported transit cards without first buying a plastic one. You need a compatible device, the supported operating system, an appropriately configured Apple Account and an eligible payment card. In Wallet, choose the option to add a transit card, select the card and follow the amount and payment instructions shown on your device.

For PASMO, the separate app is required for some additional services, not for every ordinary Wallet setup. For Welcome Suica Mobile, use JR East's visitor app and its own requirements. The app is for users aged thirteen and over on supported Apple Pay devices; it is not simply a digital photograph of a 28-day physical Welcome Suica.

Welcome Suica Mobile's balance expires after 180 days from issue and is non-refundable. Location information must be enabled, and restrictions in some countries can prevent issue or top-up until arrival in Japan. Prepare what you can in advance, but do not rely on a universal promise that every traveller can finish setup at home.

Payment-card eligibility matters separately from phone compatibility. A foreign-issued card is not guaranteed to work merely because it has a familiar payment-network logo. Confirm support with the provider and your issuer; if setup fails, use the official support information and a suitable physical-card or ticket alternative.

Android, device transfers and the physical-card trap

Do not assume that ordinary NFC support makes an overseas Android phone compatible with Japanese mobile transit cards. PASMO's international guidance says Android devices purchased outside Japan are generally not compatible with Mobile PASMO. Check the specific model and current service requirements. A physical card remains a straightforward option when the phone is unsupported.

If you transfer an eligible physical card into Apple Wallet, the plastic stops working. Apple says the deposit is added to the Wallet transit balance. This is a transfer, not a copy that leaves two usable cards. Do not give the old plastic to a companion expecting both of you to travel on the original balance.

A transit card can be on only one device at a time, although supported transfers between devices are possible. Use the same active card or device throughout a journey, and do not begin moving it between a phone and watch while travelling. Check the official procedure before changing phones during the trip.

At the gates: one traveller, one usable card

Each traveller using an individual gated rail fare needs their own card or valid ticket. Tap the same card at entry and exit so the system can calculate the journey. Keep it available until you have fully left the paid area; swapping between plastic and a mobile version is not a way to complete the same recorded journey.

Present one intended card to the reader rather than a wallet containing several contactless cards. Wait for the gate's confirmation and follow the operator's instructions. On buses, the required tap can be on boarding, alighting or both, depending on the local fare system. Do not turn the Tokyo rail procedure into a rule for every bus in Japan.

If the balance is insufficient at the exit, use the appropriate fare-adjustment or charging facility or ask staff. If the card is rejected despite enough balance, stop and seek help: a previous incomplete journey or an unsupported area can require adjustment. Repeatedly trying different gates does not resolve every recorded journey problem.

For the wider distinction between buying, activating and presenting a ticket, see the guide to public transport tickets and validation abroad. Follow the rules of the specific operator rather than assuming every transport medium works like an IC card.

What an IC balance does not replace

Suica and PASMO are not unlimited passes by default. Each eligible journey deducts its fare unless a separately purchased, applicable pass covers it. If you compare a day pass with paying from the balance, count only the journeys it actually includes. Do not buy both cards in the hope that the system automatically chooses the cheaper one.

Mutual acceptance across Japan does not remove boundaries between separate IC areas. JR East gives Tokyo to Sendai as an example of a continuous journey that cannot simply be paid by tapping the ordinary card balance across the two areas. Check the ticket required for the complete intercity journey before entering.

Shinkansen, limited express trains and Green Cars can require additional tickets or specific reservation arrangements. Some services let you associate an IC card with a separately purchased booking. That does not make the stored balance itself a universal bullet-train ticket. Confirm your train, fare components and boarding procedure with its operator.

For sightseeing planning, start with the Tokyo neighbourhoods that suit your interests, then check the connections you really need. A payment card simplifies paying for those journeys; it does not decide which places deserve your time.

Use RoadMe to turn your interests into a personal day-by-day trip plan at a pace you enjoy. Keeping the whole plan in the app is more convenient than juggling disconnected lists, while fares and current transport conditions can be checked with the operators for the journeys you choose.

Children, loss and the balance at the end of the trip

Ask for the correct child product rather than passing an adult card to a child and expecting the fare to adjust. The operators specify identification and age conditions for child cards. These are separate from the minimum age for a mobile app. Have the child's relevant identification ready and ask staff which product applies.

Anonymous cards and the physical visitor products cannot simply be reissued with their balance after loss. Personalised regular cards have different reissue procedures and conditions. A mobile card also has its own recovery process; avoid promising instant recovery merely because it is associated with an account.

Keep the reference paper supplied with Welcome Suica or TOURIST PASMO. It records useful validity and product information, and the operators ask users to carry it. For Welcome Suica, the printed GOOD THRU marking on the plastic is not the actual 28-day expiry. Use the reference paper to identify the end of your usable period.

Regular physical cards have refund procedures that involve returning the card through the appropriate operator. JR East deducts a ¥220 handling fee from a regular Suica's remaining balance, limited to that balance, then returns the ¥500 deposit. PASMO's ordinary rules also specify a ¥220 balance-refund fee and return of the deposit. Special products and commuter passes can have different conditions.

Do not expect to return any Suica at any railway desk in Japan. JR East accepts cards it issued; a Tokyo Monorail-issued Suica has its own issuer. If you plan to request a refund, find the appropriate counter before departure day instead of assuming your final station handles it.

Physical Welcome Suica, TOURIST PASMO and Welcome Suica Mobile do not offer an ordinary refund because you no longer need the remaining money. Add value cautiously near the end, use eligible small purchases if useful, and keep the card as a souvenir when appropriate. For a malfunction, ask the operator: that is a different process from simply changing your mind.

The practical choice before your first journey

Choose one suitable card per traveller, confirm how you will obtain and top it up, and keep an alternative for the first ride. Check expiry and reference-paper requirements for visitor products, device support for mobile ones, and the operator for any eventual refund. Once those decisions are settled, the brand matters far less than having a card you can actually use.