IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA)

An IC card holds a prepaid balance. At a station, the card is touched on the reader of the ticket gate when entering and again when leaving, and the correct fare is deducted automatically; the display shows the remaining balance. On buses the card is tapped when boarding, when leaving, or both, depending on the local fare system.

Cards are topped up with cash at ticket machines and charge machines in stations and at convenience store tills. Smartphone versions are topped up in the wallet app, usually with a credit card.

In practice the choice follows the arrival airport: Suica or PASMO in the Tokyo area, ICOCA in the Kansai area. Their functions are the same for a visitor. Registered (personalised) cards can be replaced if lost, while unregistered cards are anonymous and can be bought immediately.

Welcome Suica is a version for short-term visitors, sold at Narita and Haneda airports and some major stations. It has no deposit and a limited validity period, and any remaining balance is not refunded. PiTaPa, a postpay card from the Kansai region, requires a Japanese credit contract and is not relevant to visitors.

Suica, PASMO and ICOCA can be added to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch, including devices bought outside Japan, and paid for with foreign credit cards in most cases. On Android, mobile versions generally require a device with the Japanese Osaifu-Keitai function, which most phones sold abroad lack.

JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile app, launched in March 2025, is aimed at overseas visitors on iPhone and combines the card with ticket and reservation functions. Terms and supported devices change; the operators' official pages have current details.

IC cards are accepted on almost all railways, subways and buses in the large urban areas, from Sapporo to Fukuoka and Kagoshima, and increasingly on regional lines. In rural areas, some lines and buses still accept only cash or their own local cards.

Ordinary IC card fares do not cover Shinkansen and limited express surcharges, although the JR companies' online booking services let registered cards be used directly at Shinkansen gates. A single journey that crosses from one JR company's IC area into another's cannot usually be paid by card, and travellers then buy a paper ticket.

Standard Suica, PASMO and ICOCA cards can be returned at ticket offices of the issuing company for a refund of the deposit and remaining balance, minus a handling fee on the balance. Many visitors instead spend the balance down in shops or keep the card for a future trip, since cards remain valid for years after the last use.