Topping up with cash
Cash is the one method that never fails. It works on a plastic card and on a Suica inside a phone, it needs no app and no network, and it takes about twenty seconds once you know which panel to touch.
- Find a ticket machine with an IC card tray — a shallow recess to the right of the screen, marked with the IC symbol.
- Touch the English button if the screen is in Japanese, then touch Charge (it may read "IC Charge" or "Add Value").
- Place the card flat in the tray, or lay the phone in it. On a phone, do not unlock or open anything; the machine talks to the chip directly.
- Insert 1,000 yen notes or coins and choose the amount on screen.
- Wait for the machine to say the charge is complete before lifting the card or phone.
- At a convenience store instead: hand the card or phone to the clerk, say "chaaji", name the amount and pay in cash.
What the machines accept
Ticket machines take 1,000 yen notes and coins for top-ups. Many will not take a 10,000 yen note for a charge, and some take only notes, not coins, at the charge step. Break a large note at a convenience store first if that is all you have.
The ceiling and the floor
A Suica cannot hold more than 20,000 yen, and the machine will refuse an amount that would push it over. Most machines charge in 1,000 yen steps, with 500 yen available on some.
If you run out inside the gates
Do not panic and do not queue at the window straight away. The fare adjustment machine next to the gates takes cash and settles the difference, and it also tops up. Look for the machine labelled Fare Adjustment.
All guides
- Adding Suica to Apple Wallet
- Setting up Welcome Suica Mobile
- When your card is refused at the Suica top-up
- Buying a physical IC card
- Refunds and leftover balance
- How long each card lasts
- When the gate rejects your card
Frequently asked questions
Can I top up a phone Suica at a ticket machine?
Yes. The machine reads the FeliCa chip in the phone exactly as it reads a plastic card. Leave the screen off and lay the phone flat on the tray.
Can I top up with a foreign card at the machine?
Most ticket machines only take cash for an IC charge. Some newer machines take credit cards, but foreign cards are frequently refused there too, so plan on banknotes.
Is there a fee for topping up in cash?
No. The amount you insert is the amount that lands on the card.
Sources
- Suica (JR East, English) — JR East (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Welcome Suica Mobile (JR East) — JR East (Last checked 2026-09-09)