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An IC card is the single most useful thing you’ll get in Japan. Tap it to ride any train, subway, or bus, and use it to pay at convenience stores, vending machines, and lots of shops. Here’s how Suica, Pasmo, and the tourist versions compare.
Suica vs Pasmo — what’s the difference?
Honestly, almost none. Both are rechargeable tap cards that work nationwide on nearly all transit and at the same shops. Suica is run by JR East, Pasmo by the private railways. Pick whichever you can get first.
Mobile Suica/Pasmo — the best option for many
If you have an iPhone (or Apple Watch), you can add a Suica or Pasmo straight into Apple Wallet and top it up with your credit card — no physical card, no queue, no deposit. This is often the easiest route for visitors. Some Android/Google Pay setups support it too, depending on region.
Physical cards for tourists
Due to a chip shortage, standard plastic Suica/Pasmo have had limited availability at times. Tourist versions to look for:
- Welcome Suica — no deposit, valid 28 days, for visitors.
- Pasmo Passport — similar tourist card.
You buy these at airport stations and major terminals. If mobile Suica works on your phone, though, you may not need a physical card at all.
How to use it
- Top up at any station machine (cash) or, on mobile, with your card.
- Tap in and out at train gates — it calculates the fare automatically.
- Pay at konbini by saying the card name and tapping.
Do you still need a rail pass?
IC cards handle city travel and short hops perfectly. For long-distance Shinkansen trips, that’s a separate decision — see whether the JR Pass is worth it. For everything else, an IC card plus an eSIM covers your day-to-day. New to Japan? Start with our first-timer tips.
What an IC card typically costs
- A physical Suica or Pasmo requires a JPY 500 deposit (refunded when you return the card before leaving Japan, along with any remaining balance minus a small handling fee).
- Mobile Suica/Pasmo through Apple Wallet has no deposit at all, and top-ups happen instantly via your linked credit card rather than requiring a station machine.
- Welcome Suica and Pasmo Passport tourist cards skip the deposit but expire after a fixed period (typically 28 days), after which any remaining balance is simply lost — fine for a single trip, but worth knowing if you’re a repeat visitor who might want a card usable across future trips.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Buying a physical card unnecessarily when mobile Suica would work — if you have a compatible iPhone, setting up Mobile Suica before you land is genuinely faster and avoids ever needing to find a card issuing machine or queue at the airport.
- Forgetting to refund a physical card’s deposit before departure — station service counters (not ticket machines) process the deposit-and-balance refund, and this isn’t available at every station, so plan the return for a major hub before your final departure.
- Assuming a low balance will always work — while it’s largely true that IC cards handle any short trip fare, an insufficient balance at some gates can trigger a stop; keeping a small buffer (JPY 1,000+) avoids this friction.
Using your IC card beyond trains
Nearly every konbini, many vending machines, and a growing number of restaurants and shops accept IC card taps for payment, not just transit — treating it as a general-purpose tap-to-pay card for small purchases throughout the day, not only for train fares, makes it even more valuable during a trip.
What happens if your card gets lost
A registered (named) physical Suica or Pasmo can have its remaining balance transferred to a replacement card if lost, while an anonymous or mobile card generally cannot be recovered the same way — registering your card at purchase, where offered, is a small extra step worth taking if you’re loading a significant balance.