Suica vs PASMO vs ICOCA 2026: Cards, Top-Ups & Limits

Table of contents

Quick answer: choose the card, then confirm the top-up method

Suica, PASMO and ICOCA cover many of the same participating transport networks. Choose the card you can obtain and recharge reliably. For a physical tourist card, carry yen cash for top-ups. On a compatible iPhone, check Apple Wallet or Welcome Suica Mobile and your payment card before relying on the phone alone.

A short trip without a suitable phone: compare physical Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO. Both have a 28-day validity and no balance refund.
A longer stay or repeat visits: consider regular Suica/PASMO or ICOCA; check the issuer’s deposit, refund and inactivity rules.
A compatible iPhone: ordinary Apple Wallet transit cards and Welcome Suica Mobile are different options. Welcome Suica Mobile has 180-day validity; eligibility, location and payment restrictions still apply.

Regular-card sales are available again after the shortage-era restrictions. That does not guarantee stock at every machine or counter. Open the issuer’s current sales list rather than relying on an old airport guide.

A hand tapping a green IC transit card on a Tokyo train station ticket gate at night

Where the same card works—and where it does not

A Suica can be used on participating networks in Osaka or elsewhere, and an ICOCA can work on participating Tokyo networks. The ten main transport brands are Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, TOICA, Kitaca, SUGOCA, nimoca, manaca, Hayakaken and PiTaPa. Interoperability does not mean every railway, bus or shop accepts every card. PiTaPa electronic-money shopping acceptance is a separate issue from transport interoperability.

Kumamoto is not a prefecture-wide IC exclusion. Certain local bus services and Kumamoto Electric Railway stopped accepting nationwide IC cards. Kumamoto Electric Railway’s notice gives its rail/bus change, but Kumamoto City Tram explicitly continues acceptance. JR Kyushu has a SUGOCA service-area map. Check the actual operator and route, not just the prefecture name.

Ordinary IC travel is also limited by service-area boundaries. Interoperability does not let you combine every pair of regional IC areas in one tap-in/tap-out journey. A change of company is not automatically the boundary either. For a journey outside the permitted area or across an unsupported boundary, buy the appropriate separate ticket before boarding.

Top-down flat lay of the ten major Japanese IC transit cards

Compare physical and mobile options

Option	Validity and money	Where to start
Regular Suica / PASMO	Longer-term cards, with issuer-specific inactivity/refund rules. A regular Suica has a ¥500 deposit.	Issuer’s current station sales information
Physical Welcome Suica	28 days from issue; no deposit; no balance refund	JR East’s official sales-location list
Welcome Suica Mobile	180 days from issue; no deposit; unused balance is not refunded	Official app and device/location requirements
ICOCA	Standard sale ¥2,000: ¥500 deposit plus ¥1,500 usable balance. Some machines offer other amounts.	JR West’s current purchase guide
TOURIST PASMO	28 days from issue; no deposit; no refund	Keikyu at Haneda or Keisei at Narita, as listed by the issuer

The tourist-card clock starts on the issue date, not your first ride. Do not buy one many days before you need it. Check the issuer’s actual expiry date and avoid loading more than you expect to spend.

Regular Suica, Welcome Suica, and Mobile Suica side by side

Where to buy a physical card

Use JR East’s Welcome Suica purchase page for the current station, airport and machine list. Sales points and hours can change; an airport arrivals hall and an airport railway station are not interchangeable locations.

TOURIST PASMO’s official page lists Keikyu at Haneda and Keisei at Narita. Do not assume it is sold at general city stations. For a Kansai arrival, use JR West’s ICOCA purchase guide.

Choose the issuer and product before joining a line.
At the machine, select a supported language and the correct card—not a day pass with a similar display.
Read the deposit and starting balance separately.
Keep the card, receipt and any required reference paper until you have checked the issuer’s instructions.
If the machine cannot issue your choice, use the current staffed sales point or buy a regular journey ticket.

Hand pressing a touchscreen on a Japanese train station ticket vending machine

How to top up a physical card

Yen cash is the reliable starting plan for a physical visitor card. JR East explicitly says physical Welcome Suica recharge is cash only and credit cards cannot be used. Do not treat a limited regular-card or issuer-specific credit-card facility as general foreign-card support at station machines.

Use a compatible recharge machine or ask at a participating convenience-store counter. Follow the machine’s slot or card-tray instructions, choose the amount, pay and check the displayed balance. The stored-value maximum is ¥20,000; deposits are separate from spendable balance.

Holding a contactless bank card against a Suica is not a general recharge method. Cash top-up of a physical card and adding money to a Wallet card are different procedures.

Hand inserting a banknote into a Japanese train station IC card charging machine

At shops, buses and other readers

Look for the supported IC logo. At a convenience-store register, tell the cashier you want to pay by IC or top up before presenting the card; do not assume every counter, ATM, vending machine, locker or taxi supports the same operation. Keep enough cash for a paper ticket or small purchase if the reader is unavailable.

Hand tapping an IC card on the NFC reader at a Japanese convenience store register

How to ride with the card

Keep one transit card ready, away from other cards that could be read.
Tap in at the gate and wait for acceptance before walking through.
Tap out with the same card at the destination.
If the gate rejects it, go to staff or the fare-adjustment machine rather than repeatedly forcing another card.

One ordinary transit card cannot carry several people through a rail gate at once. Children need the correct product and fare; ask the issuer about the child’s age and identification. Bus tapping and fare timing depend on the operator, so follow that vehicle’s instructions.

A stored-value card alone is not an ordinary Shinkansen ticket. For eligible eastern routes, JR EAST Shinkansen e-ticket requires one linked IC per traveler. SmartEX/EX products are separate services. On a conventional-line Express Train e-ticket, the basic fare may still need separate payment. See the JR East booking guide.

Hand tapping an iPhone on the green NFC reader at a Tokyo train station ticket gate

Apple Wallet and Welcome Suica Mobile

Apple’s setup guide explains adding Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to Wallet on supported devices. Its requirements include an Apple Account with two-factor authentication and an eligible payment card; a Japanese Apple ID is not a listed general requirement. Device, card and product eligibility still matter, and not every foreign payment card is guaranteed to work.

For a Wallet transit card, select the card, tap Add Money, choose the amount and authenticate with an eligible payment method. Follow Apple and the issuer if payment fails. Do not repeatedly charge without checking whether the previous attempt succeeded.

Welcome Suica Mobile is a distinct visitor product with 180-day validity. Check its supported iPhone/Apple Watch and OS requirements. Issuing or topping up can be restricted by country or location, and location services are required. Do not assume you can issue it abroad in every country or transfer a physical tourist card into the same product.

Android support depends on the device and issuer. An international Android phone is not automatically compatible with Japanese mobile transit cards. If eligibility is unclear, use a physical card and keep a ticket fallback.

iPhone showing a green Suica card balance screen, held in a hand against a blurred Tokyo street

Refunds, expiry and a lost phone

For a regular physical Suica, JR East’s refund rules return the ¥500 deposit and deduct up to ¥220 from the remaining stored balance as the handling fee. If the balance is zero, the full deposit is returned. Use an eligible JR East office; another region’s card acceptance does not mean its operator can refund a Suica. For PASMO or ICOCA, use that issuer’s own refund instructions.

Physical Welcome Suica, TOURIST PASMO and Welcome Suica Mobile do not refund unused balance under their ordinary rules. Spend down carefully before expiry; the deposit of a regular card is different from its usable balance.

A lost physical tourist card does not have an automatic balance-recovery guarantee. A phone account does not guarantee immediate mobile-card recovery either. For a lost or damaged device, follow the issuer’s suspension and reissue procedure; Welcome Suica Mobile’s recovery guide includes restoration timing. Keep cash or a ticket option while you resolve it.

Hand receiving a green IC card across a Japanese JR Travel Service Center counter

Plan B if the card or top-up fails

Not enough balance: ask staff or use a compatible fare-adjustment/recharge machine with cash.
Phone payment fails: check your payment card and the transaction result, then use a physical card or paper ticket.
Card won’t exit: show staff your starting station and route; an incomplete journey or area boundary can need correction.
Reader does not accept the card: check the actual operator’s alternatives. Contactless bank-card acceptance is operator- and reader-specific, not a universal replacement.
Service maintenance: use a currently supported cash/ticket option. Do not assume one maintenance schedule applies to all issuers.
Lost phone: suspend and follow recovery steps; buy the needed journey separately while waiting if necessary.

Hand inserting an IC card into a Japanese train station fare adjustment machine

FAQ

Suica or PASMO for Tokyo?

Both work on many participating networks. Choose based on purchase, top-up, refund and device needs rather than the logo alone.

Can I use it in Osaka, Kyoto or Sapporo?

Often on participating networks, but not on every route or for an unsupported journey across IC areas. Check the route’s operator.

Is Kumamoto excluded?

No prefecture-wide rule applies. Kumamoto Electric Railway and affected local buses differ from Kumamoto City Tram and JR Kyushu’s mapped IC services.

Can a foreign credit card recharge a physical Welcome Suica?

No. JR East says physical Welcome Suica recharge is yen cash only. A Wallet or app product has a different process and eligibility.

Does Apple Wallet require a Japanese Apple ID?

Apple does not list that as a general requirement. Check supported hardware, two-factor authentication, payment card and issuer conditions.

Is Welcome Suica Mobile valid for 28 days?

The physical card is 28 days from issue; the Mobile product is 180 days. Verify the expiry shown for your card.

Can I get unused tourist-card money back?

The listed tourist products ordinarily do not refund it. Load modest amounts and check expiry.

Will my mobile card recover immediately if I lose my phone?

Do not rely on instant recovery. Follow suspension/reissue steps and keep another payment or ticket option.

Where is TOURIST PASMO sold?

Use the official Keikyu Haneda and Keisei Narita sales list, not a generic “major Tokyo stations” claim.

Does my IC balance pay a linked Shinkansen e-ticket?

The IC can identify a separately purchased reservation; it is not permission to ride every Shinkansen using stored value. Complete the correct operator’s booking and linkage.

Official sources and next action

Revised October 22, 2026 using the official sources below. Before departure, open the issuer’s sales and recharge pages, check your route, then keep enough cash for a separate ticket if needed.