A Complete Guide to Suica

Japan has a huge public transport system across many cities and regions. This can make buying tickets complex, confusing and not friendly to first time visitors.

The good news is that Suica exists! Today I will help you out by teaching you about the different kinds of Suica cards that are available and hopefully this will help you choose what ones to buy on your next trip to Japan.

First of all, what is a Suica Card?

Suica means watermelon in Japanese. A strange name indeed for a card that you use to travel around the country is it not?

It’s an abbreviation for Super Urban Intelligent CArd, but also sounds similar to the sound “Sui Sui” which means “to move smoothly and swiftly”.  Much like many other metro cards in use in australia (such as the myki or opal cards), you simply topup the card with the amount of money you need for travel and tap on every time you pass through the gates at a train station (but that’s not the only use, more about that later).

But where do you get a Suica?

Suica Cards are most easily purchased from the ticket machines or service counters at JR East stations. When you buy your card you will need to make a deposit of (at the time of this blog) 500 yen. Of course, being a deposit you can later return your card and get a portion of that deposit back, if you wish.

Once you have your brand-new Suica, you can top it up at ticket machines, convenience store or via the Mobile Suica app.

Here’s the thing, that’s not your only option!

Different Flavours of Suica Cards!

What if you are only travelling for a short while? Or you don’t really want to have to carry around yet another card and possibly lose it?

Introducing the Welcome Suica and Mobile Suica

Welcome Suica is just like the regular Suica card. But with a few slight differences.

This is a secial type of Suica that is specifically only for foreign travellers. It expires after 28 days, meaning you cannot use it even if you top it back up after that. But the advantage is you don’t have to worry about the 500-yen deposit or returning the card at the end of your trip.

Mobile Suica is for those of us who don’t like carrying around physical cards or are worried we are going to lose them.

This can be loaded onto your Apple Wallet, Google Wallet or Mobile Suica App and works just like any other digital pass card. It can even be linked to a credit card for easy top-ups!

Convenient, right?

But what if we combined both?

And this brings us to the final form, the Welcome Suica Mobile. This brand new (having only just been launched on the 6th of March, 2025) addition to your travel options, combines both the convenience of the Mobile Suica Card with the quick and easy of access of the Welcome Suica, with some slight changes.

This new card can acquired before you travel, meaning its ready to go as soon as your arrive, doesn’t need a deposit, much like the Welcome Suica, and lasts for 180 days, so potentially perfect for those longer stays (such as those wishing to investigate the recently announced digital nomad visas).

Come Q2 2025 you can even use this on a JR-East Tran Reservation on the Narita Express and Fuji Excursion trains, and even some Shinkansen lines, making it super flexible for everyone who wishes to use them.

One sad note unfortunately though, is at the time of writing this blog, it is only available on iPhone and Apple Watches, and Android support hasn’t been announced yet. We recommend checking out the Welcome Suica Mobile website for more information.

So, what does this all mean for you?

Depending on how you wish to travel, there is a Suica option for you, heres some handy tips:

·       If you are looking for a short trip of under a month, the Welcome Suica or Welcome Suica Mobile is for you.

·       If you are the kind of person who finds yourself traveling back and forth to Japan, either on work or just traveling, buying a regular Suica Card may be more convenient for you.

·       People who prefer to not carry cards, then the Mobile Suica or Welcome Mobile Suica (remember iPhone only here) will work out better for you.

And a few final tips and tricks!

Remember how we mentioned that you can use the Suica for more then just the train system?

1.      Suicas are accepted on many metro busses, though always remember to carry some loose change just in case, especially if you enjoy traveling off the beaten path.

You will see the logo where Suica Card is accepted.

2.      You can quickly top up your suica if your have the Mobile Suica App ready on your smartphone.

3.      If you choose to use the Mobile Suica, then always make sure you have your powerbank on you, the last thing you want is to be stuck with a flat phone battery and unable to get out of a train station!

4.      And finally, your Suica works not only for travel, but if you keep an eye out for the Suica logo, you can also use them for Taxis, lockers, some tourist attractions and even vending machines!

I hope this blog post helps you have a Sui Sui trip in Japan with the Suica card! Be sure to check out our social media for more travel and survival trips for your next trip to Japan, or maybe it even inspires you to take up one of our experiences that you may otherwise be worried about being able to get to.