Suica, PASMO and ICOCA in 2026: which IC card to get

Which card should you get?

Suica (JR East), PASMO (Tokyo’s private railways and subways) and ICOCA (JR West) do the same job. The name only matters for where you buy it and where you return it. Children aged 6 to 11 need a child card to pay child fares; the Welcome Suica (Child) and who rides free are in Japan with kids.

The cards compared

From JR East, JR West and PASMO, checked 23 October 2026. Station sales of physical cards can pause; JR East lists some Welcome Suica sales points as temporarily closed. JR East sells one Welcome Suica per person. PASMO PASSPORT, the old visitor card, has been discontinued. Neither PASMO nor ICOCA cards can be bought with a credit card.

On iPhone: Welcome Suica Mobile or ICOCA

• Welcome Suica Mobile needs an iPhone XR or XS or later on iOS 17.2+, Apple Pay with a card in your own name, and age 13+. Download it before you go. JR East lets you issue the card before entry only from South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam; everyone else issues it after landing, with location services on. It then lasts 180 days.
• ICOCA in Apple Wallet needs an iPhone 8 or later on iOS 16+, your device region set to a country where Apple Pay works, and a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express card in Wallet to add money. JR West says you can issue it in your own country.
• Set it as your Express Transit card so you can tap through ticket gates without unlocking the phone. Apple says Express Mode works without a network connection, and on some models even when the battery needs charging.
• Need staff to fix your card? Turn on Service Mode in Wallet before handing your phone over.

On Android

Google says Suica in Google Wallet works only on Osaifu-Keitai phones, which are mostly models sold in Japan. If your phone was bought outside Japan, plan on a physical card.

Where it works, and where it does not

• Works: JR and private railways, subways and most buses in the interoperable card areas (Tokyo, Kansai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo and others), plus convenience stores, vending machines, coin lockers and many shops and restaurants. JR East says Welcome Suica can be used across the country, though some areas do not accept it.
• Does not work for: a single journey between two card areas, such as Tokyo to Osaka (PASMO and JR West both say so), or the Shinkansen (JR West, for ICOCA). Buy a ticket or use a rail pass for those.
• Long JR trips: within the ICOCA area, journeys of more than 200 km cannot be made on the card, with exceptions around Osaka.
• Tap in and tap out with the same card, one card at a time. Two cards in one holder can confuse the gate.

Topping up and the ¥20,000 limit

• Cards are topped up with cash at ticket machines and fare adjustment machines showing the IC mark, and Welcome Suica also at Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores. JR East says the Welcome Suica card cannot be topped up with a credit card.
• Welcome Suica Mobile is topped up in the app with Apple Pay, or with cash at machines in Japan.
• The balance is capped at ¥20,000. Load a few thousand yen at a time and top up as you go, especially on cards whose balance is not refunded.
• Need cash for top-ups? See which ATMs take foreign cards.

Refunds and leftover balance

• Regular Suica: return it at a JR East station for the ¥500 deposit plus your balance minus a ¥220 handling fee. JR East’s example: a ¥1,000 balance gives back ¥1,280. If the balance is under ¥220, you still get the full deposit. Suica cards issued by other companies, such as Tokyo Monorail, go back to that company.
• ICOCA card: JR West returns the deposit; if the balance after the ¥220 fee would be nothing, you get just the ¥500 deposit.
• Welcome Suica and Welcome Suica Mobile: no refunds. Spend the balance down in convenience stores before you fly.

Quick answers

Which IC card should I get in Japan as a tourist?

With an iPhone, a Suica from JR East’s Welcome Suica Mobile app or an ICOCA in Apple Wallet: no deposit and nothing to lose. Without one, a Welcome Suica card from Narita or Haneda airport (no deposit, valid 28 days) or a regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA from a station ticket machine (¥500 deposit, refundable).

Can I use Suica in Osaka and Kyoto, or ICOCA in Tokyo?

Yes. The main IC cards work in each other’s areas for trains, buses and shops. What you cannot do is make a single journey from one area into another, such as Tokyo to Osaka, on an IC card.

Can I set up Suica on my iPhone before I travel?

Welcome Suica Mobile can be issued before entering Japan only from South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam (JR East, as of 6 March 2025); from anywhere else, download the app at home and issue the card after you land. JR West says ICOCA in Apple Wallet can be issued in your own country if Apple Pay is available there.

Can I get my Suica deposit back?

For a regular Suica, yes: return it at a JR East station and you get the ¥500 deposit plus your balance minus a ¥220 handling fee. Welcome Suica and Welcome Suica Mobile have no deposit, and their remaining balance is not refunded.

Can I top up Suica with a credit card?

Not the Welcome Suica card: it is topped up with cash only, at station machines or Seven Bank ATMs. Welcome Suica Mobile is topped up in the app through Apple Pay, and ICOCA in Apple Wallet with a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express card.

Can I use an IC card on the Shinkansen?

Plan on a separate Shinkansen ticket or a rail pass. JR West states that ICOCA cannot be used on Shinkansen trains, and IC cards are not for journeys between two card areas.

Does Suica work on Android phones?

Only on Osaifu-Keitai phones, which are mostly models sold in Japan. With any other Android phone, buy a physical card.

Going to Okinawa? The Yui Rail monorail in Naha takes Suica and the other national IC cards: see Okinawa for a first trip. Going to Hokkaido? Suica works around Sapporo and Hakodate, but not to Furano, Biei, Noboribetsu or beyond Otaru: see Kitaca, Suica and the Sapporo subway. Choosing a Tokyo base? See where to stay in Tokyo. Landing soon? See airport to city: trains, buses and taxis and which eSIM to get. The trip planner adds an IC card reminder to your own dated checklist.

Sources

Checked against these pages on 23 October 2026. Official pages take precedence over this summary.

1. JR East: Welcome Suica: where to buy, prices, 28-day validity, top-ups and refunds
   Railway operator.
2. JR East: Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone app)
   Railway operator.
3. JR East: Rules for the Use of Welcome Suica Mobile (from 1 Mar 2026)
   Railway operator.
4. JR East (Welcome Suica Mobile FAQ): In which countries can a Suica be issued?
   Railway operator.
5. JR East (Welcome Suica Mobile FAQ): System requirements
   Railway operator.
6. JR East: Suica: price, deposit and refunds
   Railway operator.
7. JR East: FAQ: Suica and Welcome Suica
   Railway operator.
8. JR East / PASMO: Resumption of sales for non-personalized Suica and PASMO cards from 1 Mar 2025 (PDF)
   Railway operators.
9. JR West: Buying ICOCA: ¥2,000 including ¥500 deposit (Japanese)
   Railway operator.
10. JR West: ICOCA on Apple Pay: requirements and how to add it
    Railway operator.
11. JR West: ICOCA usage area and notes
    Railway operator.
12. JR West: ICOCA refunds (Japanese)
    Railway operator.
13. Apple Support: Use transit cards on your iPhone or Apple Watch in Japan
14. Google Wallet Help: Add e-Money to Google Wallet (Japan only)

General information. Card rules, prices and sales points change; the issuer’s own page is always right. JapanBenri is not affiliated with JR East, JR West, PASMO, Apple or Google.