What is the Suica card?

The Suica card is an IC card issued by the JR East Railways that people can use for travelling, shopping, and other transactions in Japan. It works as a prepaid electronic money card that you can top up or recharge to be able to pay for subway, train, and bus fares, drinks and snacks from vending machines, items bought at convenience stores, and more. With it, there is no need to wait in line at ticket vending machines, or rifle through your coin purse for exact change.

How do you buy a Suica card?

There are three ways to acquire a Suica card.

1. You can buy a Suica card at the JR East Ticket Offices or Midori-no-madoguchi, and JR East Travel Service Centers at the major JR East Stations in Tokyo.

If you are flying in to Japan via Narita or Haneda Airport, you can head straight to a JR East Travel Service Center at either airport to purchase your Suica card. Here are maps on where you can find these offices:

• Narita Airport Terminals 1, 2, and 3
• Haneda Airport International Terminal

In central Tokyo, you can purchase your Suica card at the JR East Travel Service Centers found at the following locations:

• Tokyo Station
• Shinjuku Station
• Shibuya Station
• Ueno Station
• Ikebukuro Station

2. You can get your own Suica card at ticket vending machines once in Japan.

It is also possible to purchase your own Suica card at ticket vending machines found at train stations in the JR East region. Here are the steps on how to do it:

1. Tap the screen and select the “English” language option.
2. On the next screen, choose the “Purchase New Suica” button.
3. You will be presented with two choices: “MySuica” and “Suica”.
4. If you want a Suica card that has your name on it and can be replaced in case you lose it, press the “MySuica” button. You will be asked to input your full name, birthday, sex, and phone number in order to create the card. If you are okay with having a regular, blank card with just the Suica logo on it, choose “Suica”. You do not have to provide any personal information for this one.
5. Decide how much credits you would like to put into your Suica card. You have six choices: 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen.
6. After selecting your desired card value, insert bills and/or coins into the machine’s bill and coin slots to pay for your purchase.
7. Your new Suica card should be ready in seconds.

3. Purchase your Suica card online before you leave for your trip.

If you do not want to have to deal with figuring out how the ticket vending machines work or how to find your way to the JR East Travel Service Centers after a 12-hour flight, you can always buy a Suica card online, weeks or months before your departure.

We recommend purchasing your Suica card online through a company called simcardgeek.com. They can ship your Suica card to your home address, so you can have one with you ready for use as soon as you arrive to Japan.

How much does a Suica card cost?

Suica cards, whether for adults or children, are sold for the following prices:

• 1,000 yen
• 2,000 yen
• 3,000 yen
• 4,000 yen
• 5,000 yen
• 10,000 yen

Out of the total cost, 500 yen serves as a deposit that you can get back when your return your Suica to any JR East service centre at the end of your trip, while the rest is the amount of credits that you can use for train and bus travel, and others.

If you get an adult’s Suica card, the adult’s rate is deducted per use. If you get child’s Suica card, the child’s rate is deducted per use.

How do you use the Suica to get around?

At train stations, you have to touch your Suica card onto the card readers at the ticket gates. You do this at your departure station right before entering the ticket gates to your train platform, and also after getting off the train to exit your arrival station. Doing so automatically deducts the exact fare from your card.

When riding buses, you also just touch your Suica onto the card reader by the doors or next to the driver upon getting on or getting off to have the exact fare automatically deducted from your card.

How do you use the Suica for shopping?

You can use your Suica card to buy a wide variety of goods and items while in Japan.

• While aboard a train, you can pay for food and beverages you buy from the train trolley service using it.
• You can get bottled water, soda in cans, coffee, ice cream, and other goods from vending machines using your Suica instead of bills or coins.
• Many convenience stores and restaurants also accept Suica as methods of payment. Just check with the staff in advance.
• At many train stations, you can use your Suica to rent coin lockers for your luggage.

Where can you use the Suica card?

A Suica card has wide coverage all over Japan. Upon purchasing it in Tokyo or some other areas in the JR East region, it is valid in several other transportation networks from as far north as Hokkaido to as far south as Kyushu.

It can be used to travel on JR and non-JR train and bus lines within a city or from one city to another, as long as both the departure point and the arrival point belong to the same area. For example, you can use it if travelling between Kyoto and Osaka, as both cities are in the JR West/Kansai area. Take a look at this Suica Map for more details on where you can use your Suica.

Also, just recently, the Tokaido-Shinkansen and Tohoku/Joetsu/Hokuriku Shinkansen lines have started accepting IC cards, including Suica, for non-reserved seats. Your Suica card has to be registered first to be able to avail of this service. More information is available on the Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen Reservation Information Page.

How do you recharge your Suica?

You can recharge your Suica card at the ticket vending machines and recharging machines at JR and non-JR railway almost anywhere in Japan. You can top it up as many times as you need in multiples of 1,000 yen, to a maximum amount of 20,000 yen. You must pay for the load in cash (bills and/or coins), as the machines do not accept credit cards payments.

What is its validity period?

Your Suica card is valid for a period of 10 years. If you get one on your first trip to Japan, you can choose to keep it and not return it yet for a refund, so that you can make use of it once again if you come back to the country within the next decade. If you fail to use your Suica in 10 years, the card becomes invalid, and you will have to get a new one for your next Japan trip.

The post The Prepaid Suica Card; Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Japaniverse Travel Guide.

What is the PASMO card?

The PASMO card is a kind of smart prepaid card that you can use not only for trains, subways, and buses, but also for buying goods and paying for transactions across Japan. It can be recharged or loaded with credits to cover your public transportation expenses, and purchases from many convenience stores, restaurants, and vending machines. It is one of the two IC cards that can be purchased in the Tokyo region (the other one being the Suica card), and is valid on various JR and non-JR train, metro, subway, and bus lines nationwide.

How do you buy a PASMO card?

You can buy your own PASMO card as soon as you land at Haneda Airport or Narita International Airport. Just look for a ticket vending machine that offers the option to buy a PASMO card. You can also purchase one at various JR and non-JR train stations in the Tokyo area.

To purchase a PASMO card using a ticket machine, follow the steps below:

• Many ticket vending machines have different language options available for non-Japanese speakers. Select “English” on the screen to proceed.
• Touch the button with the label “PASMO”.
• On the next screen, you are given two choices: a “Personal user PASMO”, if you want to have your name printed on your PASMO card (be prepared to input a number of personal details necessary for the issuance of a replacement card if you lose your original one); or a “General user PASMO”, if you are fine with a regular, nameless PASMO card.
• Select how much stored value you would like on your PASMO card. The options are 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen. All include a 500 yen deposit.
• Pay for your purchase by inserting bills or coins. Credit cards are not accepted.
• The next screen shows a summary of your transaction. You can touch the “Back” button if you made a mistake, or the “Receipt” button to create your card.
• Your PASMO card and your receipt should be ready in a few seconds.

How much does a PASMO card cost?

There are PASMO cards available for adults and children. They cost 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen, and include a 500 yen deposit. At the end of your trip, you can get a refund of the deposit and the remaining balance in your card by returning it to a non-JR train or subway station within the Tokyo area.

Adult PASMO cards are charged with adult rates, while child PASMO cards get charged with child rates.  If you are travelling with a kid, you can purchase a child PASMO card for him or her by presenting the necessary documentation that proves his or her age.

How do you use the PASMO card to get around?

To get to the train platforms at train, subway, or metro stations, you just touch your PASMO card onto the sensors or readers at the ticket gates. And, once you arrive at your destination station, get off the train and head to the ticket gates where you touch your PASMO card once again onto the sensors or readers. The total fare for the journey is automatically deducted from your card.

To use your PASMO card on buses, touch it onto the sensor or card reader found next to doors or the bus driver once you board or alight. The exact bus fare should also be automatically deducted from your card.

How do you use the PASMO card for shopping?

The PASMO card can work as a wallet that you can use to pay for goods and services while you are travelling in Japan. It is very useful for the following situations:

• When purchasing foods and drinks from the train trolley services available on some long-distance railway journeys, you can pay using your PASMO instead of cash.
• If you want to buy soft drinks, water, tea, coffee, juice, and various food items from many vending machines across the country, you can touch it onto the sensor or reader and the total amount of your purchase is automatically deducted.
• When dining at some restaurants, you can pay for your meals with your PASMO card.
• A lot of convenience stores across Japan also accept PASMO cards as a mode of payment for purchases.
• If you need to store your luggage in one of those modern coin lockers at train or bus stations, you can use PASMO to pay for it.

Where can you use the PASMO card?

The PASMO card can be used on several JR train and non-JR/private train lines all over the country; many intercity express bus lines, overnight buses, airport shuttle buses, and city buses; and taxis around Japan. However, it does not work on Shinkansen lines and express train lines.

Some of the railway companies that utilize it are the Tokyo Railway, Toei Subway, Keisei Electric Railway, Keio Corporation, Keikyu, Enoshima Electric Railway, Hakone Tozan Railway, Seibu Railway, Tobu Railway, Izu Hakone Railway – Daiyuzan Line, Tokyu Corporation, Tsukuba Express, Odakyu Electric Railway, Yokohama Subway, and Saitama Railway.

It also valid on several bus lines, including the Fuji Kyuko, Keisei Bus, Hakone Tozan Bus, Odakyu City Bus, Kanto Bus, Tobu Bus, Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu, Seibu Bus, Keio Bus, Keihin Kyuko Bus, and Kawasaki City Bus; and a number of tram lines, such as the Toei Streetcar.

How do you recharge your PASMO card?

There are many railway stations from as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Kyushu that have recharging machines for PASMO cards. You can top up or reload your PASMO at one found at a JR or non-JR station in denominations of 1,000 yen.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

• Insert your PASMO card into the card slot.
• Touch the “English” language option for ease and convenience.
• Select the “Charge” button on the screen.
• Choose the amount you would like to load into your card. Options are 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen. Notice that the screen also shows how much money you still have in your card.
• Insert bills or coins into the money slot to pay for the transaction.
• Take your newly recharged PASMO card.

You can also recharge your PASMO card on buses by asking the bus driver, or at several shops and stores by asking a staff member.

What is the PASMO card’s validity period?

The PASMO card has a validity period of 10 years. You can keep your own card after your last trip to Japan, and still be able to use it on your future trips, with the deposit and remaining balance intact, within the next 10 years. Visit the official PASMO website for more information.

The post What is a Pasmo Card? All Your Questions Answered! appeared first on Japaniverse Travel Guide.