{"id":1828,"date":"2026-10-18T07:18:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/?p=1828"},"modified":"2026-10-18T07:18:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:18:49","slug":"ic-card-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/ic-card-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"IC Card Japan Guide 2027: Which One Works Where, and How to Get One (11 Cards Compared)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Which IC card in Japan should you get? Any of them: the 10 main IC cards work on trains, subways and buses in every big city, so buy whichever is on sale where you land.<\/strong> At Tokyo’s airports that means Welcome Suica or the new Tourist PASMO, in Kansai it means ICOCA, and iPhone users can skip the plastic and add Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to Apple Wallet. This IC card Japan guide explains the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cover all 11 cards and apps, where you can buy them now that the 2023\u20132025 card shortage is over, deposits and refunds, the places they still don’t work, charge limits, and the 2026\u201327 changes, from Suica’s merged areas to tapping a Visa card at the gate.<\/p>\n\n\n

10<\/p>

IC cards that work nationwide<\/p><\/div>

\u00a520,000<\/p>

Maximum balance on a card<\/p><\/div>

\u00a5500<\/p>

Deposit on regular Suica\/PASMO<\/p><\/div>

28 days<\/p>

Welcome Suica \/ Tourist PASMO life<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Which IC card in Japan should you get?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your situation<\/th>Best pick<\/th>Why<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
iPhone (8 or later)<\/td>Suica or PASMO in Apple Wallet<\/td>No card to buy, top up from your phone, keep it for next trip<\/td><\/tr>
Landing at Narita or Haneda, short trip<\/td>Welcome Suica or Tourist PASMO<\/td>No deposit, sold at the airport stations, valid 28 days<\/td><\/tr>
Staying longer or coming back<\/td>Regular Suica or PASMO<\/td>No time limit, and the balance is refundable<\/td><\/tr>
Landing at Kansai Airport<\/td>ICOCA<\/td>JR West’s card, sold across Kansai<\/td><\/tr>
Android phone bought outside Japan<\/td>A physical card<\/td>Visitor apps are iPhone-only (see below)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For riding trains it makes no practical difference which card you hold. A Suica works in Osaka and an ICOCA works in Tokyo. What differs is where you can buy and refund them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"IC
IC ticket gates at an Osaka station. Every gate reads Suica, PASMO and ICOCA. Photo: Buddy AN<\/a> \/ Unsplash, Unsplash License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n\n

IC card Japan comparison: all 11 cards and apps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since March 2013, ten regional cards have worked on each other’s networks under the nationwide mutual-use scheme. JR East’s Suica area page<\/a> lists the same cards for shop payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Card<\/th>Issuer \/ home area<\/th>Notes for visitors<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Suica<\/td>JR East (Tokyo, Tohoku, Niigata)<\/td>Regular card has a \u00a5500 deposit; sold at JR East machines<\/td><\/tr>
Welcome Suica<\/td>JR East<\/td>Visitor card: no deposit, 28 days, no refund<\/td><\/tr>
Welcome Suica Mobile<\/td>JR East (iPhone app)<\/td>Visitor app, valid 180 days, balance not refundable<\/td><\/tr>
PASMO<\/td>Tokyo private railways, subways and buses<\/td>Regular card has a \u00a5500 deposit; sold at subway and private-rail stations<\/td><\/tr>
Tourist PASMO<\/td>PASMO (launched May 2026)<\/td>Replaced PASMO PASSPORT; no deposit, 28 days, no refund<\/td><\/tr>
ICOCA<\/td>JR West (Kansai, Hiroshima, Okayama)<\/td>Kansai’s main card; works in Apple Wallet<\/td><\/tr>
Kitaca<\/td>JR Hokkaido (Sapporo area)<\/td>Same use as Suica<\/td><\/tr>
TOICA<\/td>JR Central (Nagoya, Shizuoka)<\/td>Transferred to Apple Wallet as ICOCA<\/td><\/tr>
manaca<\/td>Nagoya subway, Meitetsu and buses<\/td>Same use as Suica<\/td><\/tr>
SUGOCA<\/td>JR Kyushu<\/td>Same use as Suica<\/td><\/tr>
nimoca<\/td>Nishitetsu (Fukuoka) and partners<\/td>Same use as Suica<\/td><\/tr>
Hayakaken<\/td>Fukuoka City Subway<\/td>Same use as Suica<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

PiTaPa, used by some Kansai private railways, is also part of the scheme but is a post-paid card linked to a Japanese credit account, so it isn’t for visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome Suica vs Tourist PASMO vs a regular card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/th>Welcome Suica<\/th>Tourist PASMO<\/th>Regular Suica \/ PASMO<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Price<\/td>\u00a51,000\u2013\u00a510,000, all of it stored value<\/td>Narita: \u00a52,000 fixed. Haneda: \u00a51,000\u2013\u00a510,000<\/td>From \u00a51,000, including a \u00a5500 deposit<\/td><\/tr>
Deposit<\/td>None<\/td>None<\/td>\u00a5500, returned on refund<\/td><\/tr>
Valid for<\/td>28 days from purchase<\/td>28 days from issue<\/td>No time limit<\/td><\/tr>
Refund of balance<\/td>No<\/td>No<\/td>Yes (Suica: minus \u00a5220 fee)<\/td><\/tr>
Where to buy<\/td>Narita and Haneda T3 stations, major JR East Travel Service Centers<\/td>Railway stations at Narita and Haneda<\/td>Station ticket machines<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Welcome Suica is sold at machines in the Narita Terminal 1, Terminal 2\u00b73 and Haneda Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) stations, and at JR East Travel Service Centers at those stations and at Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama and Sendai. Each person can buy one. The 28 days start on the day you buy it, and the “GOOD THRU” date on the back is not the expiry date (JR East<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourist PASMO was announced on 17 April 2026 and went on sale in May 2026 with a kanji-themed design. It can be recharged, but unused value is not refundable (PASMO press release<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened to PASMO PASSPORT?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is gone. PASMO says PASMO PASSPORT, the Sanrio-design visitor card, was no longer available from 25 June 2024 (PASMO for visitors<\/a>). Tourist PASMO is its replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Suica and PASMO cards still sold out?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No. A chip shortage stopped sales of anonymous Suica and PASMO cards from June 2023 and personalised cards from July 2023. Personalised cards came back in 2024, and anonymous cards returned on 1 March 2025 (PASMO\/JR East notice<\/a>). You can now buy a regular card at most station machines again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you use an IC card on iPhone or Android?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes on iPhone, mostly no on foreign Android phones. Apple Wallet supports Suica, PASMO and ICOCA on iPhone 8 or later and Apple Watch Series 3 or later. You create a new card in Wallet or move a physical card onto the phone, which then stops the plastic working (Apple Support<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n