Suica vs Pasmo: Which Tokyo IC Card Do You Actually Need?

March 2025 Update: Physical Suica and Pasmo cards went back on normal sale on March 1, 2025, after the semiconductor shortage that had limited them through 2023-2024.

Historical Context: From 2023 through early 2025, a global semiconductor shortage made physical IC cards hard to find. During that time:

• Regular Suica/Pasmo cards weren't sold at airports or standard ticket machines
• Travelers had to go to particular JR East Travel Service Centers with a passport to buy one
• Welcome Suica (the tourist version) was very hard to get, mostly only at Haneda Airport
• Mobile wallets became the main fallback

Current Status (Post-March 2025): Physical cards are sold at the usual places again, and the mobile options that came out of the shortage are still worth considering.

You may not need an IC card at all. If you're staying in one neighborhood and only visiting places nearby, single tickets are fine. A three-hour Haneda layover isn't worth buying one for. And if you have an active JR Pass, you don't need one for JR trains, because the pass already covers them.

You need an IC card if you'll take several trips a day around Tokyo. A family visiting Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa and Ueno over a few days will tap 4-6 times a day. If you're mixing Metro lines with JR, you need a card that works on both. And if you'd like to pay at convenience stores without carrying cash, the card does that too.

It matters most when trains are how you get around. On Day 1 you land at Narita or Haneda, jet-lagged, with luggage, in stations you don't know, and working out a ticket machine for every ride is the last thing you want. Families with young children, or with older relatives who move more slowly, are glad to have one less thing to deal with at the gates. If Day 1 already feels like a lot, many first-time visitors spend it with a guide who handles the getting around, then head out on their own after that.

IC cards are contactless payment cards for transit and shops. You touch the card to a reader and the fare comes off automatically. JR East runs Suica. Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway and the private railways run Pasmo. Both are part of a nationwide network of 10 IC cards that work with each other, so you can use either one across Japan, well beyond Tokyo.

Tokyo has several rail operators, and IC cards work on all of them: JR, Metro, Toei and the private railways. For which operators run which lines, and why passes can push you onto awkward routes, see our three-operator guide.

For a visitor they do exactly the same job. They use the same readers, cover the same lines and reload in the same places. Wherever Suica works, Pasmo works, and the other way round.

What you'll notice is the branding. Suica has a penguin at JR stations, and Pasmo has a robot at Metro stations.

Tourists usually go with Suica because Welcome Suica (the tourist version) is easy to get at the airports and its phone support is better. If you end up with a Pasmo first, it works exactly the same way.

The more useful decision is whether to carry a physical card or use your phone.

Mobile Wallet Options Explained

For iPhone Users (iPhone 8 or later):

1. Apple Wallet Integration: Add Suica/Pasmo straight to Apple Wallet. It works anywhere a physical card does.
2. Welcome Suica Mobile App (March 2025+): An app for international visitors, in English, valid for 180 days, and you can top it up with a foreign credit card through Apple Pay.

For Android Users:

• Major Limitation: Most Android phones sold outside Japan don't have the NFC-F (FeliCa) chip that Mobile Suica needs.
• Workarounds: Some Japanese-market Android phones support it, but setting it up needs a Japanese Google Play account.
• Recommendation: If you're on Android, plan on a physical card.

Key Advantages During Shortage: Phone wallets became the main option when physical cards were scarce (2023-2024). Now that the cards are back, the phone option is still handy if you have an iPhone.

For families, physical cards are simpler: everyone holds their own and nobody's passing phones around. Solo travelers who already pay by phone at home may prefer the mobile version. If you have mobility needs, the card is only part of it. Elevators can be hard to find, and some station layouts are confusing.

Mobile Suica requires an unlocked phone, which is also what you need for eSIM connectivity, so people setting up one usually set up both.

Where you'll use it makes a difference. At Shinjuku Station in rush hour, pulling out a card is faster than unlocking a phone. But if your phone is already doing your maps and translation, having your transit card on it too means one less thing to carry.

Launching March 6, 2025: An app made for international visitors.

Key Features:

• English and multiple language support
• Direct issuance on iPhone (iOS only at launch)
• Foreign credit card top-ups via Apple Pay, which fixes the payment problems visitors used to hit
• 180-day validity (vs. 28 days for physical Welcome Suica)
• No Japanese Apple ID required to download

Who Should Use It:

• iPhone users arriving after March 2025
• Travelers who'd rather pay by phone
• Anyone who wants to skip the card deposit

Limitations:

• iOS only at launch (no word yet on Android)
• Needs an iPhone 8 or later with NFC

The app was developed in response to the card shortage, to give visitors a reliable digital option.

Current Availability (Post-March 2025): Now that the semiconductor shortage is over, you can buy physical Suica and Pasmo cards at the usual places again.

During the Shortage (2023-2024): Travelers had to go to particular JR East Travel Service Centers (駅たびコンシェルジュ) at big stations like Ueno, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Tokyo Station and show a passport to buy an unregistered card.

Welcome Suica Details:

• Tourist card with no deposit (you save ¥500)
• Sold in amounts from ¥1,000 to ¥10,000
• No refund, so spend the balance before you leave
• Expires 28 days after purchase (regular cards last 10 years from last use)
• During the shortage it was very hard to get, mostly only at Haneda Airport

The ticket machines have an English option. A regular Suica or Pasmo costs at least ¥1,000 (¥500 deposit + ¥500 you can spend).

Touch the card to the reader on the way into a station, and again on the way out. You don't insert it anywhere. It's contactless, and about a second of contact does it. The gate shows your remaining balance every time you tap.

If your balance is too low, the gate stays shut. Step aside, find a fare adjustment or ticket machine nearby, top up, and tap through.

At convenience stores (Lawson, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart), tap the card on the reader at the register. It's the same one-second touch.

Tokyo-specific scenarios:

• Changing between JR and Metro at Shinjuku takes two taps, one to leave JR and one to enter the Metro

• Paying at Lawson works like the gates: tap the reader and you're done

• Leaving Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line is the same tap out

The usual mistakes are forgetting to tap out (you'll be charged the maximum fare), running short on balance (top up before your last ride of the day if you're near zero), and keeping more than one IC card in the same wallet (the reader can't tell which one you mean). All of these are easy to fix, though it's quicker to avoid the common transit mistakes from the start.

The card pays your fare, but you still have to find your way. Station signs aren't always fully in English, platforms get crowded, and transfers with luggage are hard work. The language barrier at gates and on platforms is a separate problem from how the card works.

Work out your first top-up from how long you're staying and how many rides you take a day. A typical Tokyo ride costs ¥170-¥330 depending on distance.

Example fares:

At 4-6 rides a day, expect to spend ¥1,000-¥2,000 a day on transit.

Starting load recommendations:

You can top up any time at station ticket machines or convenience stores, so loading too little is no big deal. Loading too much ties up cash you might want for meals or tickets. Start low and top up as you go.

IC cards pay the base fare only. They don't cover limited express trains, reserved seats or the Shinkansen.

If you have an active JR Pass, don't tap your IC card on JR trains, because the pass already covers them. Use the card only on non-JR lines like Metro, Toei and the private railways.

The cards work across the country through the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service, but you can't ride straight through from one region into the next. You have to exit the gates at the regional boundary and enter again.

Important Note on Welcome Suica: The tourist version has no deposit (so you save ¥500), and it also has no refund. Spend what's left before you leave Japan.

Refund locations in Tokyo:

• Tokyo Station JR Ticket Office (for Suica)

• Shinjuku JR Ticket Office (for Suica)

• Any Metro station office (for Pasmo)

With a regular card, spend the balance down to almost nothing before you hand it in. Use it at convenience stores, vending machines, or on your last train ride.

Plenty of people just keep the card for their next trip. Regular Suica and Pasmo cards stay active for 10 years from the last time you use them.

If you'd rather not sort all this out at the airport gates, start with Tokyo Essentials, or plan a full first-day route with this Tokyo private tour planning guide.

This guide is published by Hinomaru One, a Tokyo-based private tour operator.