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Suica and ICOCA for visitors: which card to get

All of them work on trains, subways and buses in most Japanese cities. Landing in Tokyo with an iPhone, add Suica to Apple Wallet or use the Welcome Suica Mobile app; without an iPhone, buy a Welcome Suica card at Narita or Haneda. Landing at Kansai Airport, buy an ICOCA. Rules are from JR East, JR West and Apple, checked on 28 October 2026.

By Mikako Yoshida ·Published 28 October 2026

Suica and ICOCA for visitors: which card to get
Ginza, Tokyo · Photo: Basile Morin (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Which card

CardPriceDepositValid forMoney back at the end?
Welcome Suica (card)¥1,000–10,000, all of it balanceNone28 daysNo
Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone app)Top up with Apple PayNone180 daysNo
Suica or ICOCA in Apple WalletTop up with a card in Apple PayNoneNo limit for a tripThrough the app
Suica (regular card)¥1,000–10,000, including the deposit¥500No limit for a tripBalance minus ¥220, plus the ¥500 deposit
ICOCA¥2,000, including the deposit¥500No limit for a tripBalance minus ¥220, plus the ¥500 deposit
TOURIST PASMO¥2,000 at Narita; ¥1,000–10,000 at HanedaNone28 daysNo
Welcome Suica card
Welcome Suica card · Photo: Ravi Dwivedi (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tokyo: Welcome Suica or Suica on your iPhone

Welcome Suica cards are sold at JR East Travel Service Centers and Welcome Suica machines at Narita Terminals 1 and 2·3 and Haneda Terminal 3, and at Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Ueno and Yokohama stations. There is no deposit, but the card expires after 28 days counting the day you buy it, and money left on it is not refunded, so top up a little at a time. Top-ups are cash only, at station machines or Seven Bank ATMs.

On an iPhone, the Welcome Suica Mobile app (iOS 17.2 or later) is valid for 180 days and tops up with a card in Apple Pay; in some countries it can only be set up after you arrive in Japan. You can also add a regular Suica to Apple Wallet. Android phones bought outside Japan generally cannot: Google Wallet supports Suica only on Japanese Osaifu-Keitai phones.

Regular Suica cards are back on sale at station ticket machines since March 2025. Before you leave, a JR East ticket office in the Suica area returns the balance minus ¥220, plus the ¥500 deposit. Tokyo’s subway operators also sell TOURIST PASMO at stations around Narita and Haneda from May 2026: no deposit, 28 days, no refund.

Ticket gates at Kyoto Station
Ticket gates at Kyoto Station · Photo: Mr.ちゅらさん (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Osaka and Kyoto: ICOCA

At Kansai Airport Station, buy an ICOCA from the ticket machines; the JR ticket office also sells a Visitor ICOCA to foreign passport holders. It costs ¥2,000 including the ¥500 deposit. Top up with cash; the maximum balance is ¥20,000.

To get your money back, go to a JR West station in the ICOCA area: you receive the balance minus ¥220, plus the ¥500 deposit. ICOCA can also be added to Apple Wallet, with no deposit. For the train into the city, see HARUKA tickets on Klook.

One card for the whole country, but not across areas in one ride

Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and the other major IC cards work in each other’s areas, so a Suica works in Osaka and an ICOCA in Tokyo. But a single ride cannot run from one card area into another, for example from Tokyo to Sendai: buy a ticket for that ride instead.

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IC-card-only gates at JR Koiwa Station, Tokyo
IC-card-only gates at JR Koiwa Station, Tokyo · Photo: MaedaAkihiko (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Or just tap your credit card

Since 25 March 2026, 11 Tokyo operators accept contactless credit, debit and prepaid cards and phones at the gate, with through travel between them: Tokyo Metro, Toei, Keikyu, Keio, Odakyu, Tokyu, Seibu, Tobu, Sotetsu and others, 54 lines and 729 stations. JR East lines, including the Yamanote Line, are not included.

In Osaka, every Osaka Metro station takes Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and other brands at the gate (adult fares only), and so do 87 of Nankai’s 100 stations. An IC card is still handy for JR lines, buses and convenience stores.

Paying with Suica at a vending machine
Paying with Suica at a vending machine · Photo: Real Estate Japan from Tokyo, Japan (CC BY 2.0)

Questions

Can I top up with a credit card?
Not on a physical card: station machines take cash only. Suica and ICOCA in Apple Wallet and the Welcome Suica Mobile app top up with a card in Apple Pay.
What happens to money left on a Welcome Suica?
It is lost when the card expires and is not refunded. Spend it in convenience stores and shops that take Suica, or top up only what you need.
Suica or ICOCA: which is better?
They work the same. Buy whichever is sold where you land; only the refund has to be done in the issuer’s own area.

Related guides

Japan trip checklistEntry steps and costs in the order you meet them.Tax refund at the airportWhere to do the customs check when you leave.Getting your refundTo a card, in cash or to an e-wallet, and how long each takes.

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