QUICK ANSWER
What matters first.
For most visitors, set up a mobile IC card before arrival if your phone and payment card support it. Otherwise buy the visitor or regular card available in your arrival region. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are broadly interoperable, so you do not need a new card in every city.
- For most visitors, set up a mobile IC card before arrival if your phone and payment card support it. Otherwise buy the visitor or regular card available in your arrival region. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are broadly interoperable, so you do not need a new card in every city.
- Refund where the card was issued. A Suica is refunded by JR East, an ICOCA by JR West. You generally cannot hand an ICOCA to a Tokyo station office and expect a refund, even though the card works on Tokyo trains. If your trip ends in a different region from where you bought the card, plan for this.
- A handling fee usually applies to the remaining balance, not to the deposit. If you return the card with money still loaded, expect a deduction from that balance before it is paid out.
- A card with a zero balance usually returns the full deposit with nothing deducted. Spending the balance down before you leave is the cleanest exit.
EDITORIAL DECISION
The choice, before the detail.
First-time visitors who want a practical setup before arrival and fewer decisions on day one.
You already have a working Japan-specific setup and only need a live official rule.
Verify time-sensitive rules with the named operator or authority immediately before relying on them.
Set up an
IC card
Compare the real transfer total before late-night options tighten.
FROM US$59 / VEHICLECHECK TRANSFER PRICE · Compare current Tokyo airport-transfer options ↗An IC card is stored-value transport money. If you are asking which IC card to get in Japan, most visitors only need one interoperable option such as Suica, PASMO or ICOCA. Tap in at the station gate, tap out at the destination, and the correct local fare is deducted. The same balance often works at convenience stores, vending machines and station lockers.
TL;DR: For most visitors, set up a mobile IC card before arrival if your phone and payment card support it. Otherwise buy the visitor or regular card available in your arrival region. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are broadly interoperable, so you do not need a new card in every city.
01Which card should you choose?
- Common card
- Suica or PASMO
- Practical answer
- Choose whichever is available
- Common card
- ICOCA
- Practical answer
- Best local starting point
- Common card
- TOICA or manaca
- Practical answer
- Either is fine
- Common card
- SUGOCA, nimoca or Hayakaken
- Practical answer
- Use the easiest to buy
| Arrival area | Common card | Practical answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo / eastern Japan | Suica or PASMO | Choose whichever is available |
| Osaka / Kyoto | ICOCA | Best local starting point |
| Nagoya | TOICA or manaca | Either is fine |
| Fukuoka | SUGOCA, nimoca or Hayakaken | Use the easiest to buy |
The major transport IC cards share a national interoperability network across much of Japan. A Suica bought in Tokyo can usually pay for local travel in Osaka, and an ICOCA bought in Kansai can usually be used in Tokyo. Exceptions remain on some rural lines, highway buses and routes that cross incompatible IC areas.
02Physical card: how to issue one
At a participating station, use an IC-card ticket machine or visit the staffed counter. English-language instructions are normally available. Visitor cards and sales locations change, so follow the current signs at your airport or major station.
- Select the IC-card purchase option.
- Choose adult or child. A child card requires proof of age, normally a passport.
- Pay the initial amount. Regular cards commonly include a refundable ¥500 deposit; visitor products may have different rules.
- Keep the card separate from other contactless cards when tapping.
- Add value at a ticket machine when the balance gets low.
Many station machines require cash for top-ups even when other purchases accept cards. Convenience-store cashiers can also add value: say “charge” and show the amount.
03Deposit and refunds: what you get back
Regular IC cards are sold with a refundable deposit, normally ¥500, which is not spending money — it is not part of your tappable balance. A ¥2,000 purchase typically gives you ¥1,500 to travel with and ¥500 held against the card itself.
Getting the deposit back is where the detail matters, and it is the part most visitors get wrong:
- Refund where the card was issued. A Suica is refunded by JR East, an ICOCA by JR West. You generally cannot hand an ICOCA to a Tokyo station office and expect a refund, even though the card works on Tokyo trains. If your trip ends in a different region from where you bought the card, plan for this.
- A handling fee usually applies to the remaining balance, not to the deposit. If you return the card with money still loaded, expect a deduction from that balance before it is paid out.
- A card with a zero balance usually returns the full deposit with nothing deducted. Spending the balance down before you leave is the cleanest exit.
- Visitor cards work differently. Welcome Suica and similar tourist products are typically sold with no deposit, but they expire (commonly 28 days) and unused balance is generally not refundable.
The practical rule follows directly: do not load the card heavily near the end of the trip. Aim to arrive at the airport with a small balance and either spend it at a convenience store or accept losing a few hundred yen rather than routing across the city to a refund counter.
04Does my contactless card from home work instead?
Usually not, and this is the single most common wrong assumption.
Tapping a foreign Visa, Mastercard or phone wallet at a Japanese ticket gate does not generally work. Japan's IC network runs on FeliCa, a different contactless standard from the one used by international payment cards, and most subway and JR gates in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto still expect an IC card or a FeliCa-capable phone.
Open-loop contactless acceptance — tapping your own bank card directly at the gate — is being introduced on a growing number of Japanese railways, but it is a patchwork by operator and region rather than a national system. It is not yet something to build a trip around.
The same hardware distinction explains a common frustration with phones: an iPhone bought in any region can generally add a Suica, while many Android phones bought outside Japan lack the FeliCa chip entirely and cannot hold a Japanese transport card no matter which app is installed. Check your specific model before assuming the mobile route is available to you.
05Mobile IC: the fastest option
Welcome Suica Mobile allows eligible iPhone users to issue and top up a Suica in the app. Apple Wallet can also support transport cards, depending on device region, software and payment-card compatibility. Android support differs by model; an overseas Android phone may not include the required Japanese FeliCa hardware.
Set it up before the airport journey, add a small balance, and confirm Express Transit mode if available. Keep the phone powered: a dead battery can complicate exiting through the gate.
06What an IC card does not replace
An IC card covers ordinary pay-as-you-go local transport. It does not automatically make a Tokyo pass, airport transfer or dated long-distance ticket unnecessary. If you already know you will spend one or more heavy subway days in Tokyo, compare the arithmetic against point-to-point fares and airport access before buying extra products.
07How to tap correctly
Hold the card or phone flat over the blue reader for a brief moment. The gate screen shows the fare and remaining balance. If the gate closes, step aside rather than trying repeatedly; station staff can read the card and fix an incomplete journey.
Do not tap in with one card and out with another. For limited-express trains and Shinkansen, the IC balance alone may not cover the required seat or express ticket. You may need a separate ticket linked to the card.
08What IC cards cannot do
An IC card is not an unlimited travel pass and it does not automatically reserve seats. It may fail on rural lines, some highway buses, some airport services and journeys that span separate IC-card regions. Look for the national IC symbol; if it is absent, buy a paper ticket or prepare cash.
Visitor cards can expire and unused balance may be non-refundable. Do not load the whole trip budget at once. A ¥2,000–¥4,000 balance is usually enough for ordinary city travel and small purchases.
09Current visitor-card note
PASMO PASSPORT sales ended in 2024. PASMO announced a new TOURIST PASMO product for international visitors in 2026, while JR East continues Welcome Suica and Welcome Suica Mobile. Because sales points and conditions can change, verify them shortly before arrival rather than relying on an old video.
10FAQ
What is an IC card in Japan?
It is a rechargeable contactless card that stores money for transport. You load yen onto it, tap it on the gate reader when you enter and again when you leave, and the correct fare is deducted automatically. The same balance also works as small-purchase payment at convenience stores, vending machines and lockers. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are the best-known brands of the same underlying system.
How much is the deposit on an ICOCA or Suica card?
Regular cards normally carry a ¥500 refundable deposit on top of whatever balance you load. It is returned when you hand the card back to the issuing company, though a handling fee is usually taken from any remaining balance.
Do I need both Suica and ICOCA?
No. One interoperable card is enough for most city transport in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and other major regions.
Can I top up a physical IC card with a credit card?
Many ticket machines accept cash only for IC top-ups. Mobile cards may allow supported wallet payment cards.
Can two people share one IC card?
Not for the same journey. Each traveler needs a separate card because the system records entry and exit.