Welcome Suica: How to Buy and Use It | A 28-Day IC Card for Visitors to Japan
Welcome Suica is an IC card for visitors to Japan that needs no deposit and is sold at airports and major stations. Here is a summary of where to buy it, how much you can load, how long it is valid, where it can be used, and points to watch such as the fact that it cannot be refunded.
Overview
Welcome Suica is a transport IC card that JR East sells to visitors to Japan on a short stay. Just touch it to the ticket gate to ride trains and buses, and you can also use it to pay at convenience stores, at vending machines and for coin lockers. It is valid for 28 days including the day you buy it, and the deposit is ¥0.
Your options
- Card version: sold at airports and major stations. As a rule, one card per person.
- Welcome Suica Mobile: a smartphone app version is also available. Check the supported devices and the conditions on the official JR East website.
- For children: there is a children's card that can be used until the first March 31 that comes after the child's 12th birthday, and identification such as the child's passport is required when buying it.
Step by step
Where you can buy it
From March 27, 2025 onward, the sales locations are as follows.
| Where to buy | Stations and places |
|---|---|
| Welcome Suica dedicated ticket machines | Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 Station, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station (Tokyo Monorail) |
| JR EAST Travel Service Center | both stations at Narita Airport, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station, Tokyo Station, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, Ueno Station, Yokohama Station, Sendai Station |
| Other | JAPAN RAIL CAFÉ TOKYO, Takanawa Gateway Travel Service Center |
How to use it
- Entering: touch the card to the card reader on the ticket gate.
- Getting off: touch again at the gate of the station where you get off, and the fare comes out of your balance.
- Not enough balance: add money at a fare adjustment machine or a ticket machine.
For trains, touch the card to the card reader on the ticket gate to enter, and touch again at the station where you get off. For buses, touch when you board and when you get off. The fare comes out of your balance automatically, and if the balance is not enough you can add money at a fare adjustment machine. Limited express trains, the Shinkansen and Green Cars need a separate ticket.
Costs
The amounts you can choose when buying the card run from ¥1,000 up to ¥10,000 (1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen), and the whole amount becomes your balance. You can add money at ticket machines, at fare adjustment machines and at Seven Bank ATMs, up to a limit of ¥20,000. Money can only be added in Japanese yen cash; credit cards cannot be used.
Good to know
- Once the 28-day validity period has passed, the card can no longer be used. The GOOD THRU date on the back is not the expiry date.
- It can be used on trains and buses and at shops across the nationwide mutual-use area, but you cannot ride continuously across areas (for example, riding straight through from the Tokyo area to the Sendai area). Exit through the ticket gate once and enter again. It cannot be used at shops in the PiTaPa area.
- There is also a Welcome Suica for longer stays that can be used for up to six months.