IC Card Japan 2026 — Suica, Pasmo & ICOCA Complete Guide

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This page covers how to choose, buy and refund an IC card, and how to ride trains and buses in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Read it in order: first decide whether to ride with an IC card, your phone or a credit card; then learn how buying and refunds work; finally check whether a day pass pays off in the city you are staying in. For Shinkansen and long JR trips, use the Japan Rail Pass page. Getting around within cities is settled here.

Step 1 — Choose an IC Card, Your Phone or Card Tap

Japan’s transit IC cards work interchangeably nationwide. A Suica bought in Tokyo rides Osaka’s subway and Kyoto’s buses, and pays at convenience stores and vending machines. Besides a physical card, you can now use your phone’s wallet or tap your own credit card at the gate. Tap the option that suits you.

If in doubt, carry one IC card, physical or on your phone—it is the safest choice. Only an IC card works on JR, subways, private railways and buses alike; credit card tap does not work on JR.

Riding with your phone

On iPhone, you can add Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to the Wallet app. ICOCA needs an iPhone 8 or later on iOS 16 or later. You top up from Wallet with a credit card. In March 2025 JR East also launched Welcome Suica Mobile, an app for visitors that runs on iPhone XR or later with iOS 17.2 or later and accepts foreign-issued credit cards for top-ups. It expires 180 days after issue, and the balance is not refunded. On Android, it mostly requires Japanese models with Osaifu-Keitai, so if your phone was bought abroad, a physical card is the safer choice.

Tapping a credit card

You tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express or similar card on a compatible gate. In Tokyo, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, Odakyu, Keio, Tokyu, Keikyu and others accept it, but JR lines, Keisei and the Tokyo Monorail do not. Osaka Metro caps your fares per day, and Hankyu, Hanshin, Nankai and Kintetsu also accept it. Kyoto’s subway and city buses do not. Because coverage is limited, use an IC card as your main option and a credit card as backup.

Step 2 — Buy, Top Up and Refund an IC Card

Physical cards are sold at ticket machines in airports and major stations. Unregistered Suica and PASMO cards, which were paused during the chip shortage, went back on sale in 2025 and are easy to buy in 2026. Kansai airports and stations sell ICOCA. Every card works nationwide, so just buy whatever your arrival airport sells.

At the machine, choose “New card”, switch to English, pick a top-up amount and insert cash. You pay the top-up amount plus a ¥500 deposit. For a one-week trip, an initial top-up of ¥3,000–¥5,000 is about right. Welcome Suica has no deposit, but it is valid for 28 days including the purchase date and any remaining balance is not refunded.

At the gate, tap the card flat on the yellow or blue reader. Tap again when you exit and the fare is deducted. If your balance is too low, the exit gate will stop you; use the fare adjustment machine before the gate, insert your card and pay the difference. Keeping about ¥1,000 spare avoids this.

Top up with cash at station ticket and charge machines, or at the counter in 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart. The maximum balance is ¥20,000. Suica or ICOCA on your phone can be topped up from Wallet with a credit card at any time.

IC cards work beyond trains. Tap the reader to pay at convenience stores, station vending machines and coin lockers, and many restaurant chains and drugstores. No need to carry coins, so put small trip expenses on the card. Since the same balance pays your fares, get into the habit of checking it before the gate so shopping doesn’t drain it.

Refunds for physical cards are given at staffed JR counters. The ¥500 deposit comes back in full, and a ¥220 fee is taken from the balance. If the balance is ¥220 or less, it is forfeited and you get only the ¥500 deposit. For example, with a ¥1,000 balance you receive ¥1,000 − ¥220 + ¥500 = ¥1,280. If you plan to return within a few years, keeping the card for your next trip is better value; it stays valid for 10 years after last use.

What an IC card alone won’t cover

An IC card pays only basic fares on local and rapid trains. Reserved Shinkansen seats and limited expresses such as the Narita Express, Skyliner, Haruka and Romancecar need a separate limited express or reserved-seat ticket. Highway and overnight buses are mostly booked in advance. Some airport limousine buses take IC cards and others need a ticket first, so check at the stop. Even with a Japan Rail Pass, you still use an IC card for subways, private railways and city buses.

Travel times and the other ways into the city are on the airport guide.

Children aged 6–11 ride at half fare with a child IC card. Child cards are issued at staffed counters on showing a passport, not at ticket machines. Children under 6 ride free, up to two per adult.

Step 3 — Tokyo: Subway and JR on One IC Card

Getting around Tokyo means combining Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, the JR Yamanote and Chuo lines, and private railways. With an IC card you never buy a ticket at each transfer, even between companies. Stations have numbers like “G09” and line colours, with English signs. Google Maps transit directions show platform numbers and exits.

On subway-heavy days, the Tokyo Subway Ticket, valid on all Tokyo Metro and Toei lines, is the better deal: ¥1,000 for 24 hours, ¥1,500 for 48 hours and ¥2,000 for 72 hours, sold to overseas visitors and to Japan residents living outside the Tokyo area. The basic subway fare is around ¥180, so the 24-hour ticket pays off from six rides, and the 72-hour ticket from four rides a day over three days. JR lines are not included, so use your IC card on the Yamanote Line.

The dollar amounts are Klook’s prices; what you pay changes with the exchange rate. Check who can buy the ticket. Tokyo Metro sells the ticket to overseas visitors and to visitors who live in Japan outside Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Yamanashi. Klook’s product page says the offer is not available to Japanese passport holders (checked October 9, 2026). If you live in Japan, check the conditions on Klook’s booking page before you pay.

From Haneda, take the Keikyu Line or Tokyo Monorail; from Narita, the Keisei Line or JR rapid trains—all with your IC card. The Narita Express and Skyliner are limited expresses and need a separate ticket. Having an IC card ready from the arrivals hall to your first train makes things easy.

From 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. is rush hour, and the Yamanote, Chuo and Tozai lines get especially crowded. Avoid this window if you have big luggage. Last trains run around midnight.

Step 4 — Kyoto: Combine Subway and Bus

Kyoto has only two subway lines—the north–south Karasuma Line and the east–west Tozai Line—and temples such as Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji and Kiyomizu-dera are far from stations. That makes city buses the main way to sightsee. The adult fare in central Kyoto is a flat ¥230, paid when you get off. You can pay with an IC card, but not by tapping a credit card.

The old bus-only day pass stopped selling in 2023. Use the Subway & Bus One-Day Pass (¥1,100 for adults) for unlimited subway and city bus rides; it pays off if you ride the bus four or more times. Kyoto City also plans to raise the bus fare for non-residents to ¥360 from fiscal 2027.

During cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons, buses to Kiyomizu-dera and Arashiyama fill up so much you may not get on. Take the subway to a nearby station and walk, or combine trains such as Keihan, Hankyu and Randen to arrive faster. Kyoto Station to Osaka Station is about 30 minutes by JR Special Rapid. If you travel between Kyoto and Osaka on Keihan, the Keihan sightseeing pass (¥1,100 for a day) covers it.

Arashiyama can be reached three ways—the JR Sagano Line, the Hankyu Arashiyama Line or the Randen (Keifuku) tram—all with an IC card. Hankyu is fastest from Shijo-Kawaramachi and JR from Kyoto Station, while the Randen tram is a slower, scenic ride.

Step 5 — Osaka: Subway and the Amazing Pass

Central Osaka is easy to cover by Osaka Metro, built around the red Midosuji Line (Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Namba, Tennoji). For Osaka Castle take the Tanimachi or Chuo Line; for Universal Studios Japan take the JR Osaka Loop Line and change to the Yumesaki Line at Nishikujo. Osaka Metro accepts IC cards and credit card tap, with a daily fare cap.

On subway-heavy days, the Enjoy Eco Card (¥820 on weekdays, ¥620 on weekends and holidays) saves money. If you also visit attractions, choose the Osaka Amazing Pass (¥3,500 for 1 day, ¥5,000 for 2 days). It includes free entry to about 40 sights such as Osaka Castle and Tsutenkaku, and the 1-day pass also covers the subway, buses and some private railway sections. It usually pays off if you visit two or more paid sights a day.

From Kansai Airport into Osaka, the Nankai Line and JR Kansai Airport Rapid take IC cards. The Rapi:t and Haruka limited expresses need a separate ticket; the Kansai WIDE Area Pass covers the Haruka. For day trips to Kobe or Nara, you can transfer between private railways and JR local and rapid trains on one IC card.

Step 6 — Taxis and Ride-Hailing Apps

Japanese taxis are metered, with no haggling. They are safe and clean, but fares rise with distance from the flag-fall, so for one or two people the train is far cheaper. After the last train, with suitcases, or for short trips with three or four people, a taxi is worth the time and money.

When you can’t hail a taxi, ride-hailing apps help. GO works in many areas nationwide, and Uber is available in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities. Register a credit card in the app and you skip explaining the destination and handling payment. For a large group from the airport, a pre-booked airport transfer is another option. Taxis in Tokyo and Osaka take IC cards and credit cards, but some rural taxis are cash only, so carry a little cash. In Kyoto, many temples are within walking distance—for example from Kiyomizu-dera to Gion—so comfortable shoes save more time than anything.

IC Card Japan FAQ

Photo credits: Tokyo Tower glowing at night over the city: Melv_L – MACASR, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) / Concourse at Kansai Airport Station: Kanchi1979, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) / Shinkansen at the platform of Tokyo Station: MaedaAkihiko, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) / Senbon Torii gate path at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)