Suica for Visitors (2026): Welcome Suica, iPhone Wallet or TOURIST PASMO?

With an iPhone, the easiest Suica is the one in Apple Wallet: add it before you fly, top it up with your own card, and tap your phone at the gate. Without an iPhone, pick up a Welcome Suica or a TOURIST PASMO at Narita or Haneda when you land. All of them work in the same places.

We checked what the official pages of JR East, PASMO, JR West and Apple said on 6–7 November 2026.

Riding the Tokyo subway a lot? The Tokyo Subway Ticket (24–72 hours) can beat paying per ride with Suica. Do the sums first.

Tokyo Subway Ticket on Klook ↗

By How to Book Japan Editorial TeamLast checked Nov 7, 2026

Some links on this page are affiliate links. You can't buy a Suica through an affiliate, and you don't need to.

The short version

iPhone

Suica (or PASMO) in Apple WalletTop up with a payment card you've added to Apple Pay.

No iPhone, flying into Tokyo

Welcome Suica or TOURIST PASMO at the airportBoth valid 28 days, no deposit, no refund of the balance.

Android from outside Japan

Use a physical cardPASMO says Android phones bought outside Japan generally can't run Mobile PASMO.

Where it works

Trains, subways and most buses in all the nationwide IC card areasSapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Okinawa's monorail included.

Shopping

Convenience stores, vending machines, many station shops

Which Suica should I get?

Best with an iPhone

Suica in Apple Wallet

Add it in the Wallet app before you fly. Top up any time with Apple Pay. Apple lists iPhone 8 or later for transit cards.

iPhone, short trip

Welcome Suica Mobile

JR East's app for visitors: a Suica on your iPhone, valid for 180 days once issued. The balance isn't refunded.

No iPhone, landing at Narita or Haneda

Welcome Suica card

A visitors' card with no deposit, valid 28 days. Leftover money isn't refunded. Sold at Narita and Haneda Airport stations and at JR East Travel Service Centers in stations such as Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro and Ueno.

No iPhone, new for 2026

TOURIST PASMO

The PASMO version for visitors. No deposit, valid 28 days, no refunds. Sold at Keisei stations at Narita and Keikyu stations at Haneda.

Landing in Osaka instead? The Kansai equivalent is ICOCA, which works in the same places. See ICOCA for visitors.

What does TOURIST PASMO cost?

Narita Airport (Keisei)

¥2,000, all of it usable fareTerminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations.

Haneda Airport (Keikyu)

¥1,000 to ¥10,000, all of it usable fareTerminal 1·2 station, and Terminal 3 station (2F arrivals, next to the gates).

Valid for

28 days from the day you buy it

Deposit / refund

No deposit. Unused money is not refunded.Spend it down at a convenience store before you fly home.

PASMO announced the card in April 2026 for a May 2026 launch. It replaces PASMO PASSPORT, which was sold until 2024.

How do I add Suica to my iPhone?

Open Wallet and tap +

Choose Transit Card, then Suica (or PASMO, or ICOCA). Pick an amount to load.

Pay with a card in Apple Pay

Pay with a card you've added to Apple Pay. If the top-up fails, try another card, or get a Welcome Suica or TOURIST PASMO card instead.

Check Express Mode is on

Apple turns it on for the first transit card you add. Then you can tap the gate without unlocking the phone.

Set up mobile data before you leave home, so you can top up and check routes on arrival.

Japan eSIM on Klook ↗

Tap in, tap out

Touch the reader on the gate going in and coming out. The fare comes off your balance.

Where can I use Suica outside Tokyo?

Almost everywhere a visitor goes by train. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken accept each other across their areas.

Sapporo

JR airport train and city transitNot beyond Otaru towards Niseko.

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe

JR West, subways, private railways, Kyoto city buses

Fukuoka

City subway, including the airport line

Okinawa

Yui Rail monorail (and you can top up there)

Not between areas

Apart from a few exceptions, one trip can't start in one IC card area and end in anotherFor long trips, buy a ticket or use a Shinkansen booking.

Suica or a pass?

For days that mix JR, subway and private lines, Suica is enough. A pass only wins when you ride a lot on one network in a short time. Our IC card or pass guide does the sums.

Heavy subway days

Tokyo Subway Ticket

24, 48 or 72 hours on Tokyo Metro and Toei lines. Doesn't cover JR.

Tokyo Subway Ticket on Klook ↗Is it worth it? →

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From Narita

Skyliner

A reserved-seat airport train that needs its own Skyliner ticket. Compare the price on the booking page with Keisei's official fare before you buy.

Skyliner on Klook ↗Narita to Tokyo →

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What if…?

…the gate beeps and won't open?

Check the balance. If it is too low for the fare, top up at a fare adjustment machine inside the gates, or in Wallet, and tap again. If it still won't open, ask the staff at the staffed gate.

…I have money left at the end of the trip?

Spend it at a convenience store or on your last train. Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO don't refund the balance. A regular Suica card can be returned at a JR East ticket office: you get the ¥500 deposit back plus the balance minus a ¥220 fee.

…I can't buy a regular Suica card?

Suica and PASMO stopped selling regular cards for a while from 2023. Regular cards went back on sale on 1 March 2025, but the visitor cards and the iPhone versions are the simplest options anyway.

…I'm going to Hakone or Nikko?

Suica works on the trains there, but a regional pass may be cheaper. Hakone Freepass →

What we checked

Official pages checked on 6–7 November 2026

JR East's Suica pages refused automated access. Search listings of JR East's own Welcome Suica pages showed: valid 28 days, no deposit, no refund of the balance; Welcome Suica Mobile valid 180 days once issued. Welcome Suica sale points: Travel Service Centers at Narita, Haneda Terminal 3, Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Ueno stations, plus vending machines at the airports. Regular Suica refund: ¥500 deposit back, ¥220 fee from the balance, at JR East ticket offices.

JR East and PASMO press release (18 February 2025): regular (non-personalised) Suica and PASMO cards back on sale from 1 March 2025.

JR West ICOCA area page: IC cards can't be used across areas, apart from some exceptions.

Apple Support (transit cards in Japan): iPhone 8 or later, Wallet > Add > Transit Card, Express Mode turned on for the first transit card.

PASMO for visitors and its April 17, 2026 announcement: TOURIST PASMO valid 28 days, no deposit, no refunds; ¥2,000 at Narita, ¥1,000–¥10,000 at Haneda; sold at Keisei and Keikyu airport stations. Android phones bought outside Japan generally can't use Mobile PASMO.

Yui Rail, JR Hokkaido and JR West's ICOCA area page: Suica accepted on the Okinawa monorail and New Chitose airport train; the ten interoperable cards listed.

Arriving at Narita or Haneda?

Get your Suica or TOURIST PASMO at the airport station, then pick the right train into the city.

Narita to Tokyo →Haneda to Tokyo →N'EX round trip on Klook ↗

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