Buying a physical IC card
If your phone cannot hold a Suica, plastic is not a downgrade — it works at exactly the same gates, shops and vending machines. The only decisions are which card and where to pick it up.
- Decide before you land: a visitor card if your trip is 28 days or shorter, an ordinary unregistered card if it is longer or you expect to come back.
- At Narita or Haneda, look for the JR EAST Travel Service Center or the ticket counters in the arrivals hall after customs.
- At Kansai International, buy an ICOCA at the JR ticket office in the station building — it works in Tokyo too.
- Ask for the card by name and load 3,000 to 5,000 yen in cash to start.
- Keep the card out of any wallet holding another IC card or a contactless bank card, or the gate will read both and reject you.
The visitor cards
A Welcome Suica charges no deposit, is valid for 28 days from issue, and is not refundable — whatever is left when it expires is gone. Tourist PASMO, launched on 20 May 2026, works on much the same terms. They are the right answer for a short trip precisely because there is no deposit to reclaim on the way out.
The ordinary cards
An unregistered Suica, PASMO or ICOCA costs a 500 yen deposit on top of the balance, has no fixed expiry, and can be refunded at a window run by the operator that issued it. Unregistered stock went back on sale in March 2025 after the chip shortage that started in 2023, and is generally available at major stations again.
Which card for which city
It genuinely does not matter for ordinary travel. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and seven other cards are mutually accepted across the country, so one card covers Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo. Buy whichever the counter in front of you sells.
All guides
- Adding Suica to Apple Wallet
- Setting up Welcome Suica Mobile
- When your card is refused at the Suica top-up
- Topping up with cash
- Refunds and leftover balance
- How long each card lasts
- When the gate rejects your card
Frequently asked questions
Is the Suica shortage over?
Unregistered Suica and PASMO cards returned to sale in March 2025 and are normally available at major stations and airports. Stock at any individual machine still varies, so ask at a counter rather than assuming.
Do I get the deposit back?
On an ordinary card, yes — 500 yen, refunded at a window of the issuing operator. A Welcome Suica or Tourist PASMO has no deposit to return, and no refund of the remaining balance either.
Can I move a plastic card into my phone later?
If your phone has FeliCa, yes. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet can absorb a physical Suica, balance included, and the plastic card is then dead. You cannot reverse it.
Sources
- Suica (JR East, English) — JR East (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Welcome Suica Mobile (JR East) — JR East (Last checked 2026-09-09)