Can you use Suica on Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model)?
The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) carries Osaifu-Keitai, so Google Wallet will offer Suica and PASMO and you can create a card before your first train. The catch on Android is never the software — it is whether the handset in your hand is this model or the one sold in your own country.
How to be sure
The Japanese carrier model (an SC- or SCG- part number) carries Osaifu-Keitai and works with Google Wallet.
Setting it up
Open Google Wallet, tap Add to Wallet, choose Suica or PASMO, and load an opening amount. If the card payment is refused, create the card with the smallest amount allowed and top it up in cash at any station ticket machine afterwards.
Where the money comes from
A foreign-issued Visa is the card travellers most often see refused at the top-up step, and the refusal comes from the payment network rather than from your bank. Mastercard, American Express and JCB usually go through. Cash never fails: any station ticket machine or convenience-store register will top up a card held in a phone.
What a Suica actually pays for
Trains and buses across the ten mutually accepted IC card networks, plus convenience stores, vending machines, station kiosks, coin lockers and a growing number of taxis. It is a prepaid balance capped at 20,000 yen, so it will not cover a hotel deposit, a car hire or a reserved Shinkansen seat bought at a machine.
Related
- Galaxy S26 Ultra (Japanese model) Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra (international model) No
- Galaxy S26 (Japanese model) Yes
- Galaxy S26 (international model) No
- Galaxy S25 Ultra (Japanese model) Yes
- Galaxy S25 Ultra (international model) No
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use Suica on a Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model)?
Yes. The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) carries the FeliCa chip Japanese gates read, so you can create a Suica in the wallet app and tap through gates, buy from vending machines and pay at convenience stores with it.
Does a Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) bought outside Japan work with Suica?
No. There is no market variant of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) that will hold a Japanese IC card, so where you bought it makes no difference.
Which IC cards can a Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) hold?
Suica, PASMO and ICOCA. All of them are accepted interchangeably for ordinary journeys across the nationwide mutual-use network, so it makes no practical difference which one you end up with.
What happens at the gate if my Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Japanese model) runs out of battery?
Recent devices keep the transit card alive for a few hours in power reserve after shutdown, but a fully flat battery is a card you cannot use. Carry enough cash for a paper ticket.
Sources
- Google Wallet Help — use Suica and PASMO — Google (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Osaifu-Keitai compatible handset list — NTT Docomo / FeliCa Networks (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Samsung and JR East to bring Suica to Galaxy phones sold outside Japan (H1 2027) — Android Authority (reporting a Samsung / JR East announcement, 2026-04-21) (Last checked 2026-09-09)