Suica vs ICOCA vs Pasmo 2026 — Which IC Card to Buy & Where

Suica vs ICOCA vs Pasmo: The Core Differences

All three cards do the same basic job — tap to ride trains, subways, and buses, and tap to pay at convenience stores and other shops that show the IC mark. What separates them is price, deposit, and what happens to your balance when the trip ends — covered in the table below.

• Refundable cards (regular Suica, ICOCA): return the card before you leave — Suica only at JR East stations, ICOCA at a JR West ticket office — to get the deposit back; both deduct a ¥220 handling fee if balance remains.
• No-refund cards (Welcome Suica, Tourist Pasmo): no deposit, but no refund either — leftover balance stays on the card as a souvenir. A Welcome Suica's GOOD THRU date is not its expiry; the 28-day limit is on the reference paper.
• Regular PASMO is on sale again too, at PASMO station ticket machines (¥500 deposit, cash only).
• Flying in? Our Narita and Haneda to Tokyo and Kansai Airport to Osaka and Kyoto guides compare airport trains and fares.

Can You Use One Card Everywhere in Japan?

Yes, mostly. Suica, ICOCA, and Pasmo are 3 of 10 IC cards — Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, and Hayakaken — accepted at each other's ticket gates and on participating buses nationwide. In practice:

• A Welcome Suica from Haneda taps through Osaka Metro and JR West gates fine.
• An ICOCA from Osaka taps through Tokyo Metro and JR East gates fine.
• Exception: a few regional lines — e.g. Kanto Railway, Chiba Monorail — only accept PASMO or Suica. Check gate signage if you're off the main JR/subway grid.
• A single trip can't start in one IC card area and end in another; for a journey that crosses areas, buy a ticket before you board.

Card or Phone? Mobile IC Card Options

• iPhone → Welcome Suica Mobile (JR East app, users 13+): valid 180 days, balance not refunded; it also sells Shinkansen and Narita Express reserved seats and Green Car tickets for local trains. In some countries, setup and top-up only work after you land in Japan.
• Regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA in Apple Wallet → iPhone 8 or later. PASMO's setup needs the device region set to Japan; ICOCA top-ups need a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express card issued where Apple Pay is supported, and some cards are not accepted (JR West).
• Android → no tourist mobile option: Google Wallet's Suica and PASMO are Japan-only and need an Osaifu-Keitai phone, so pick up a physical card at the airport instead.

Related Passes Worth Comparing

IC cards are great for point-to-point rides, but they're not always the cheapest option if you know your route in advance — and they don't cover reserved Shinkansen seats on their own. For a subway-heavy day in Tokyo, or when combining Tokyo with other cities by rail, it's worth comparing a prepaid pass against topping up a card.

• Tokyo Subway Ticket (24/48/72h unlimited Tokyo Metro + Toei) — official adult price ¥1,000 / ¥1,500 / ¥2,000
• JR Whole Japan Rail Pass (7/14/21-day, nationwide JR + shinkansen; Nozomi/Mizuho need an extra ticket) — 7-day Ordinary ¥50,000; ¥53,000 via overseas agencies from 1 October 2026
• Japan Unlimited Data eSIM — from $0.49 (KKday)

Pass prices are official fares as of September 2026; the eSIM price is alvin.travel's tracked platform data from 23 September 2026 — re-check live prices before booking.