Where to buy a Suica card? - Expert Step-by-Step Guide
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What is a Suica card?
Suica card is a prepaid e-money card widely accepted for paying for public transport in Japan. It makes using public transport super easy. If you visit Japan, you will need a Suica card to make your life easier.
Suica can be used to shop at certain locations including vending machines and convenience stores. See more at the How to use your Suica card? section below.
Suica cards have a special version for tourists called Welcome Suica. This post will cover everything you need to know about buying and using a Welcome Suica card. We will describe step-by-step how and where to buy a Suica card, explain how you can recharge it, and what you can use it for apart from transportation. In addition, we will cover common issues and FAQs related to Suica cards.
Benefits of having a Suica card
- You save time using Suica card as you don’t have to queue at the ticket machines each time you want to use public transport to buy a ticket.
- You can also save money. A Suica card usually gives you a 1-2% discount on trip fares compared to regular tickets.
- Last, but not least it gives you more flexibility. You don’t need to know where you’re going to get off the train when you walk into the station s your fare will be calculated when you exit another station. This way you can change your mind while being on the train. If you buy tickets at ticket machines you will need to specify at the ticket purchase where you would like to go.
Where to buy a Suica card?
First of all, if you are visiting Japan as a tourist I recommend buying a Welcome Suica card instead of a regular Suica card as it doesn’t require a deposit. Don’t forget that the Welcome Suica Card is valid for 28 days only, so if you are planning to stay in Japan for longer than 28 days you should get the regular Suica card. For the time being JR has stopped selling regular Suica cards, so your only option is Welcome Suica at the time of writing this article.
Where to buy a Welcome Suica card?
You can buy your Welcome Suica card online or in person once you arrive in Japan. See the full list of options below, however I highly recommend buying your Suica online in advance as JR indicated that Suica cards can be out of stock and they suspended the sales at most of their locations.
- Order Online in advance
- You can buy a Welcome Suica in advance online through Rakuten Travel or Klook and pick it up at Haneda Airport.
- Haneda Airport
- You can buy your Welcome Suica at Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail station) from a vending machine or at the JR East Travel Service Center using cash or a credit or debit card.
- JR has temporarily suspended the sales of welcome Suica at Narita Airport and major JR stations. Check JR’s website for updates if you plan to buy your Welcome Suica card at these locations.
JR announced in late May 2024 that they will launch the Welcome Suica Mobile App in Spring 2025, which will allow travelers to buy their Suica from abroad before their trip. The new app will accept foreign credit cards which cannot be used to recharge Suica at the moment.
Where to buy a regular Suica card?
Due to semiconductor shortage JR has suspended the sales of the regular Suica card, so for now your only option is the Welcome Suica Card. Check JR’s website for the latest information on regular Suica cards here.
Update, Aug 2024: JR has resumed the sales of Suica cards at major stations.
Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Suica card
Before you go to Japan, you should understand the public transport you will use. This includes researching and buying the necessary passes and e-money cards. Follow the below guide to buy a Suica card. See more info on how and where can you use a Suica card here.
Step 1: Plan your purchase
- As described above you can buy the Welcome Suica card online or in person at Haneda Airport. Decide which option you are going with and how many cards you need. If you purchase it online don’t forget to order before you leave. Again, I highly recommend to buy the card online in advance to avoid problems such as long queues and Suic crads being out of stock on the spot.
- For children up to 12 years old you can get a Welcome Suica Child Card. Carry your child’s ID with you for age verification purposes.
- Make sure to leave enough time in your schedule to buy or collect your Welcome Suica card.
Step 2: Buy & collect your card
Buying Online (Recommended):
- Order your card online at Rakuten Travel or Klook
- Collect it at Haneda Airport
Buying at Haneda Airport Terminal 3:
- Locate a JR East ticket vending machine or ticket office
- Select the English language option on the machine.
- Choose “Purchase a Suica card” and select the amount to load onto the card. You can load a maximum of 20,000 yen on the card.
- Complete the transaction and collect your Suica card. You can use cash or a card to pay.
- If you buy your Welcome Suica at the ticket office I recommend having everyone who needs a card there with you as technically JR’s policy states that 1 card can be sold per person.
Step 3: Don't forget your Reference Paper
- When you collect your Welcome Suica Card you will get a Reference paper. This piece of paper shows the validity period of your Suica and the balance loaded onto the card.
- Carry this Reference Paper with you while you are in Japan as the transport staff might ask you to show it.
Step 4: Ready to use
- You can start using your Welcome Suica. Make sure to recharge the card, see our guide below on how to recharge it.
- Scroll down for Troubleshooting and FAQs.
How to recharge your Suica card?
Okay, so, you’ve got your Suica card with an initial balance to spend. How can you manage your Suica card balance? You can recharge your Suica card at JR Ticket machines at stations and Convenience stores. It is important to know that only yen can be loaded onto the Suica card. You can pay for the recharge with yen in cash or debit card. You can’t recharge your Suica card using a credit card.
It is possible to recharge your Suica card as many times as you would like during the validity period. However, don’t load too much money onto it as you can’t get your balance refunded once the card expires. Use your balance on the Welcome Suica card before it expires, otherwise you are going to lose that money.
How to check the balance of your Suica card?
Stay on top of managing your Suica card balance as it can cause delays in recharging when you are in a hurry. On the other hand, if you load too much money on it that you can’t spend, you will lose it when the card expires.
It is super easy to check your Suica card balance. Find a ticket machine at a station with a Welcome Suica logo (see the logo below). Insert your Suica card into the machine, select English as the language, and choose the Balance Check option to get your balance.
Recharge your Suica at Ticket Machines
You can recharge your Suica at JR ticket machines at stations. To find a ticket machine that can be used to top up your Suica card look for the below Suica or Welcome Suica logos displayed on the ticket machines.
Recharge your Suica at Convenience Stores
You can recharge your Suica card at any convenience store that belongs to major chains such as 7-Eleven and Lawson. You can use their ATM to reload your Suica or go to the cash register and ask the staff to reload it for you. In this case, you can pay for the recharge in the same way as paying for something you buy at the convenience store.
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How to use your Suica card?
How to use your Suica card on public transport?
Trains & Subway
- Tap your Suica to the card reader when you enter and exit the station.
- The fare is automatically calculated and deducted from your Suica card balance.
Buses
- There are two types of buses in Japan the flat-fare and the variable fare buses.
- On flat fare buses just tap your Suica to the card reader once, when you are getting off the bus.
- On variable fare buses, where you see a fare board displayed you need to tap twice, when you are getting on and off the bus. The fare will be calculated based on the distance traveled similar to the trains.
How to use your Suica card for shopping?
The great thing about Suica card is that it can be used for shopping and dining as well.
Always look out for the Suica logo or IC logo to check if Suica is accepted at the shop as a payment option. You can use it as a payment method at various places including:
- convenience stores
- vending machines
- restaurants
- drug stores
- coin lockers
Where can you use your Suica card for transportation?
Suica is widely accepted across Japan, you can use it for public transport in most major cities including Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. You can use your Suica card to pay the fare if the IC logo is displayed on the bus/train/subway.
However you can’t use your Welcome Suica card to travel between major cities e.g. Kyoto – Tokyo, you need to buy a separate ticket.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
This section covers the most common issues and FAQs regarding Suica cards. If you have more questions, please leave a comment. We will do our best to respond.
My Suica card is not working at the card reader.
If your Suica card is not working at the card reader, multiple issues could be causing that.
- Gate malfunction: First, try to go through another gate, maybe there is a temporary issue with the gate and your Suica works fine. If it still
- Low balance: Check your balance at the station’s JR ticket machine to ensure you have enough money loaded onto the card.
- You didn’t tap out at the previous station correctly. If you suspect you didn’t tap out properly at the last station go to a ticket adjustment machine to correct your payment. I recommend asking the staff to help you, they are super helpful and will solve the issue.
- Suica card malfunction. If none of the above work your Suica card will likely have a problem. In this case, you can apply for a malfunction refund at any JR East Ticket Office at major stations. You will need the 17-digit card number (starting with JE) on the back of the card to apply for the refund. Bring your Reference Paper and Suica with you. You can apply for a malfunction refund until 14 days after your Suica card’s validity period.
I lost my Welcome Suica.
If you lost your Welcome Suica, JR won’t reissue it and you can’t apply for a refund. You have two options.
- Buy paper tickets for the rest of the journey.
- Get a new Welcome Suica. With Suica sales suspended at JR stations, you can only get a Welcome Suica at Haneda Airport, so I don’t recommend this option.
Can I use my Welcome Suica to travel on the Shinkansen between cities?
Welcome Suica can only pay for the base fare on the Shinkansen between cities, therefore you need to buy additional paper tickets on top of tapping your Welcome Suica at the gate. If you are not sure which ticket type to buy at the machine ask the station staff to assist you.
Alternatively, you can buy entirely separate Shinkansen tickets without using your Suica. If you choose to do this and arrive at the Shinkansen station using your Suica, tap out with your Suica before re-entering with your Shinkansen ticket to avoid getting charged too much.
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