One tap gets you on trains, buses and through convenience-store checkouts all over Japan — here's how Suica, Pasmo and ICOCA differ, where to buy one in 2026 (the physical cards are back, plus Welcome Suica and Mobile Suica), how to top up, what you can pay for, and how to get a refund before you fly home.
Picture not having to stand puzzled in front of a ticket machine every time you want to board a train, not having to work out how many yen it costs from this station to that one — you just tap one card at the gate and walk through. That's what an IC card (Integrated Circuit card) does to make life in Japan so much smoother. The most famous ones are Suica (the little green penguin) and Pasmo (the pink robot), but there are actually several more that all work exactly the same way.
At its heart it's a prepaid card you can tap to pay on trains, subways and buses nationwide, and on top of that it works at convenience stores, vending machines, coin lockers and many restaurants too — like a small electronic wallet in your pocket. Honestly, if it's your first trip to Japan, a single IC card makes getting around the cities far smoother than buying tickets one at a time. This page walks you through which card is which, where to buy one in 2026, how to top up, and how to get a refund when you head home.
The classic beginner question, and the short answer is they're almost identical for travellers — all three (plus seven more) are issued by different companies but belong to one system that's interchangeable all over Japan.
| Card | Issuer | Home base | Works nationwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suica | JR East | Tokyo + eastern Japan | Yes |
| Pasmo | Tokyo private railways / subways | Tokyo + eastern Japan | Yes |
| ICOCA | JR West | Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima | Yes |
| 7 more | Kitaca · TOICA · manaca · PiTaPa · SUGOCA · nimoca · Hayakaken | Hokkaido / Nagoya / Kyushu etc. | Yes |
Since 2013, Japan has folded its 10 main IC cards into a single "Nationwide Mutual Usage" system. That means a Suica bought in Tokyo will tap you onto the subway in Osaka, the tram in Hiroshima or a bus in Fukuoka all the same (with a handful of minor exceptions on a few rural lines, such as the Kantō Railway in Ibaraki). So if you already have any one IC card, you can use it for the whole trip — no need to buy a new one in every city.
The good news is the 2023–2024 shortage is over — unregistered Suica/Pasmo cards have been back on sale since 1 March 2025. Today travellers have three options, whichever suits you best.
Which one should you pick? If you use an iPhone — Mobile Suica is the easiest, because you can set it up and top it up through Apple Wallet before you even leave home, then tap your phone through the gate the moment you land, no queue (in 2026 there's also a Welcome Suica Mobile for iPhone, but still no Android support — Android users go with a physical card). If you want a real card as a keepsake and don't want to leave a deposit — the Welcome Suica at the airport is perfect (but the remaining balance can't be refunded). And if you'll be coming to Japan often or staying a while — a regular Suica/Pasmo is better value, since the ¥500 deposit is refundable and it lasts for years.
A card holds a maximum balance of ¥20,000, and the gate will warn you when there isn't enough to get through. You can top up in plenty of places, as below (physical cards can only be topped up with cash).
Plenty of people are surprised how far one card stretches. Beyond getting around, it doubles as an electronic wallet you can tap for small purchases all day long.
A question a lot of people have as the trip winds down. The answer depends on which kind of card you used — this table spells out exactly how much each one gives back.
| Card type | ¥500 deposit back? | Balance refundable? | Where to return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Suica / Pasmo | Full ¥500 back | Yes (minus a fee) | Counter of the issuing company |
| ICOCA | Full ¥500 back | Yes (minus a fee) | JR West counter |
| Welcome Suica | — | Not refundable | (No deposit · keep as a souvenir) |
| Mobile Suica | — | Very hard to refund | (In-app · limited conditions) |
Use an iPhone? — load Mobile Suica onto your phone, set it up and top it up before you fly, then just tap through the moment you land. On Android, or want a real card? — grab a Welcome Suica at the airport (no deposit, valid 28 days). Both are easy and neither costs a deposit. Once you're set, head on to how to get around the city you're visiting.
An IC card pairs with city trains and long-distance rail alike. Open these guides to plan your travel end to end.
JR, subway, private railways — your IC card taps onto all of them. A plain-English guide to Tokyo's rail network.
Open the Tokyo guide →Osaka Metro, private railways and routes to Kyoto and Nara — your IC card works on every system in the city.
Open the Osaka guide →Buses, subway and trains to temples and shrines across the city — your IC card taps onto Kyoto buses with ease.
Open the Kyoto guide →Travelling far between cities by Shinkansen — a plain-English Japan Rail Pass guide, plus whether you should buy one.
Read the JR Pass guide →Enter the routes you'll take and see whether a JR Pass beats buying tickets separately — in one minute.
Try the calculator →Visa · eSIM · IC cards · JR Pass · budgets — and everything else you need to know before flying to Japan.
Japan guide →Open the full Japan travel guide for visa, eSIM, budgets and every city worth visiting — or start booking a hotel in the spot with the easiest walk to a train station, so the IC card in your hand can take you anywhere.