Suica Changes 2026-27: teppay, Android and the Penguin
For a short trip, the Suica changes touch three things. They are how you pay in shops, how far one card takes you, and which phone holds your Suica. The card you tap at the gate today keeps working. The Welcome Suica card still needs no deposit, and the iPhone app still issues a Suica valid for 180 days.
Some items below are plans with a target period and no fixed day. Each section marks what is planned.
Suica changes at a glance
The table lists every Suica change that matters to a visitor, in date order. We checked each date against those pages on 11 October 2026, and rows marked planned can still move.
| Date | What changes | For visitors |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2026 (done) | Tap-to-ride with credit cards on 11 Kanto operators | Tap a card at 729 stations |
| 1 Oct to 25 Dec 2026 | Suica penguin digital stamp rally | Optional |
| 20 Oct 2026, from 11 a.m. | teppay code payments in the Mobile Suica app | Higher limits need a My Number card |
| 30 Oct to 4 Nov 2026 | Penguin fan event at JR Ueno Station | Optional |
| 18 Nov 2026 | New Suica character announced | No change to how you pay |
| 31 Mar 2027 | Penguin retires; new character from 1 Apr | Penguin cards sold until stock runs out |
| End of fiscal 2026 | Six Suica areas become one; 32 stations added | Tokyo to Sendai on one Suica |
| First half of 2027 (planned) | Welcome Suica Mobile on Galaxy phones | Galaxy released 2027 or later |
| Spring 2027 (planned) | teppay in the Mobile PASMO app | Mobile PASMO users |
Two changes started before late October 2026. Since 25 March 2026, 11 Kanto rail operators have let you ride by tapping a contactless credit card. Since 1 October 2026, a Suica penguin digital stamp rally has been running, and it ends on 25 December 2026.
The illustration below shows the four dates that matter most, from teppay in October to the Galaxy app in 2027.
Only teppay has a fixed start time: 11 a.m. on Tuesday 20 October 2026, rolled out in stages. The area merger and the Galaxy app have a target period but no day yet.
teppay from 20 October: can visitors use it?
teppay is a code-payment service inside the Mobile Suica app, run by JR East. The JR East press release on teppay launch says the function is added automatically for Mobile Suica app users. You do not download a new app, but you do need to be a registered Mobile Suica member.
The headline is the spending cap. A Mobile Suica or Mobile PASMO balance tops out at 20,000 yen. The JR East teppay official site: About teppay says teppay allows payments of up to 300,000 yen in shops.
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Suica card balance | 20,000 yen | |
| Mobile Suica balance | 20,000 yen | |
| teppay payments | 300,000 yen | With My Number card check |
The bars compare the two caps. The press release ties the 300,000 yen figure to an identity check with a My Number card.
teppay works at JR East group shops and at shops with the teppay mark. It also works at more than 1.7 million locations in Japan with the Smart Code mark. Shops that take Suica e-money and shops that take teppay are different lists, so look for the mark.
teppay keeps its own balance, separate from your Suica fare balance. You can send teppay balance to another user and receive it. The Suica fare balance itself cannot be sent. You also cannot ride a train or bus on teppay balance, so move it into your Suica balance first.
The JR East teppay guide: how to top up lists four ways to add money. They are a View Card, a registered bank account, cash at a convenience store ATM, and balance sent by another user. The press release names Seven Bank and Lawson Bank for the ATMs. For credit cards, only View Card works, and you need SMS authentication before any top-up.
The ID step decides how far a visitor can go. The JR East teppay guide: identity verification accepts a My Number card and no other document. JR East’s teppay FAQ adds that foreign nationals cannot use a residence card or a passport. In the app, look for the menu item 本人確認 (honnin kakunin, identity check). You scan a physical My Number card with an NFC phone and enter its signing password of 6 to 16 characters.
Without that check, you cannot top up from a bank account or issue the teppay JCB prepaid card, and your balance cap stays lower. teppay works only inside Japan.
Welcome Suica Mobile, the iPhone app for visitors, is a separate app from Mobile Suica. JR East describes teppay as a service for registered Mobile Suica members. If you carry a Welcome Suica card or the Welcome Suica Mobile app, your Suica balance still pays at shops that take Suica e-money.
The illustration sums up what teppay can and cannot do for someone visiting Japan.
Mobile PASMO users get teppay later. Both the press release and the JR East teppay official site give spring 2027 as the planned start in the Mobile PASMO app. After that, teppay balance can move between Mobile Suica and Mobile PASMO users.
One Suica area: Tokyo to Sendai on one tap
Today JR East splits Suica into six areas: Tokyo metropolitan, Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka and Akita. You cannot tap in inside one area and tap out in another, either with a Suica balance or a Suica commuter pass. JR East’s own example of a trip you cannot make on Suica today is the Tokyo area to the Sendai area.
That changes at the end of fiscal 2026, the business year that ends in March 2027. The JR East Suica Renaissance press release (part 5) says a new gate system will be fully installed by then. The system moves fare calculation to a central server, and JR East began rolling it out in May 2023. Once it is complete, the six areas become one.
After the merger, you can tap in and out between any two stations where Suica works. On the Tokyo to Sendai route, one Suica balance will then cover the fare between a Tokyo-area station and a Sendai-area station. JR East’s example is the Joban Line from Ueno to Sendai. JR East says it will announce the start date and other details once they are decided.
Sendai Station, in the photo below, is the hub of the Sendai area, and its JR EAST Travel Service Center sells Welcome Suica.
JR East also adds 32 stations to Suica at the end of fiscal 2026. They include Shirakawa, Yokote, Omagari, Tsuruoka, Sakata, Kesennuma and Echigo-Yuzawa.
Even after the merger, about 60% of JR East stations will accept Suica at the end of fiscal 2026. JR East aims for about 70% by the end of fiscal 2029 and 100% in the early 2030s. At a station without Suica, you pay your fare in cash when you get off. The next time you enter at a Suica station, staff must first cancel your old entry record.
The timing has moved once. A JR East roadmap from December 2024 gave around spring 2027 for the merger. The release of 8 September 2026 says the end of fiscal 2026.
Suica on Android: Samsung Galaxy in 2027
Welcome Suica Mobile, the Suica app for visitors, works today only on devices that support Apple Pay. JR East launched it on iOS in March 2025. The App Store lists an iPhone with iOS 17.2 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 3 or later. Our Welcome Suica Mobile guide covers the phones it works on and how to add money.
A Suica issued in the app is valid for 180 days from the date of issue. The balance is not refunded and expires when the period ends. You top up with a credit card registered in Apple Pay, or with cash at ticket machines. There is no deposit, and you must be 13 or older to use the app. In some countries, local law means you can set up the Suica only after you arrive in Japan.
Since October 2025 the app also books ticketless Shinkansen seats through JR-EAST Train Reservation. Our Suica on iPhone page covers Suica in Apple Wallet.
Android support is the next step. The JR East and Samsung Welcome Suica Mobile release targets the first half of 2027 for the app on Samsung Galaxy phones sold outside Japan. The target is Galaxy phones released in 2027 or later. JR East will announce the sales regions and compatible models once they are decided.
The release names only phones released in 2027 or later, so do not plan around the Galaxy you own now. On the planned Galaxy version, a Suica would also last 180 days from issue, with no deposit and no refund. Top-ups would use a credit card registered in Samsung Pay, or cash at top-up machines. Samsung Pay is also planned for Green Car tickets, discount tickets and commuter passes in both apps.
Other Android phones have no announced plan. Mobile Suica on Android needs an Osaifu-Keitai device, which our Suica on Android page explains. If your Android phone cannot hold a Suica, buy the Welcome Suica card when you land.
The table shows what works on each device now, what is planned and when.
| You carry | Today | Planned change | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone or Apple Watch | Welcome Suica Mobile, 180 days | None announced | Since March 2025 |
| Galaxy released 2027 or later | Not yet | Welcome Suica Mobile with Samsung Pay | First half of 2027 |
| Other Android phone | Welcome Suica card | None announced | – |
| Welcome Suica card | 28 days, up to 20,000 yen | One Suica area | End of fiscal 2026 |
| Contactless credit card | Tap-to-ride on 11 Kanto operators | Seibu on all lines | By March 2027 |
If you only need the short version, the lookup below gives one answer for each thing you might carry.
Suica penguin retires on 31 March 2027
The Suica penguin has been the image character of Suica since the card launched in 2001. The JR East press release on new Suica character says the penguin retires with an event on 31 March 2027. A new character takes over from 1 April 2027.
The public chose the new character by vote. Voting ran from 3 p.m. on 8 September 2026 to 11:59 p.m. on 23 September 2026, and it is now closed. Anyone could vote once, in Japan or abroad, from three candidates.
The design with the most votes will be announced on 18 November 2026, the 25th anniversary of Suica’s launch. JR East will then ask the public to suggest a nickname for it, with the details announced on the same day.
Suica cards showing the penguin stop being sold as each sales point runs out of stock. After that, stations sell plain Suica cards with no character. If you want a penguin card as a souvenir, buy it early.
JR East is running Penguin Years campaigns until the end of the fiscal year. A fan appreciation event for the Suica penguin runs at JR Ueno Station from 30 October to 4 November 2026. The digital stamp rally runs from 1 October to 25 December 2026.
Ueno Station, shown below, hosts the fan event, and its JR EAST Travel Service Center also sells Welcome Suica.
Tap-to-ride with a credit card in Tokyo
One change already happened. From the first train on 25 March 2026, 11 rail operators in the Kanto region began mutual use of tap-to-ride with contactless cards. The Tokyu Railways release on tap-to-ride credit cards puts the network at 54 lines and 729 stations as of that date.
The 11 operators are Odakyu Electric Railway, Odakyu Hakone, Keio, Keikyu, Sotetsu, Seibu, Tokyu, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, Tobu and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway. JR East and Keisei are not on the list. Six of them already offered the service, and the other five joined on that day.
You tap a contactless credit, debit or prepaid card, or a phone with one set up, on the gate reader. Seven brands work: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay. You pay the adult fare only, because there is no child fare. A child can ride only on a card in the child’s own name, and still pays the adult fare.
The table sums up the rules in the release that catch riders out.
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Same card in and out | Exit with the card or phone you tapped in with |
| Tokyo Metro to Toei | 70 yen comes off the through fare |
| Transfer outside the gates | Over 60 minutes, a new fare starts at the transfer station |
| Nakano Station | You cannot start a credit card trip there |
| Beyond the 11 operators | Use an IC card, or exit and buy a ticket |
| Passes and other tickets | You cannot combine them with a card tap |
For an airport trip, the Keikyu Airport Line from Haneda Airport Terminal 3 to Asakusa on the Toei Asakusa Line works on one tap. A trip from a Toei line onto Keisei does not, so tap a Suica for that one. Tokyo Metro, whose gates appear below, joined the network on 25 March 2026.
The operators say transit IC cards remain their main ticket. Seibu plans to cover all its lines and stations by March 2027. On JR East lines in Tokyo, use Suica, another IC card or a paper ticket, as our Tokyo IC card guide explains.
What stays the same, and plans after 2027
The Welcome Suica card needs no deposit and comes in six amounts: 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen, for adults and children. The JR East Welcome Suica purchase page says it is valid for 28 days including the day you buy it. It stops working on the 29th day, and the GOOD THRU date on the back is not the expiry date.
The JR East and Samsung release words this differently. Its comparison table lists the card as valid for 28 days from the first day of use.
You can top up to 20,000 yen at machines with the Welcome Suica mark, or at Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores. Only yen cash works, and a credit card cannot top up the card. JR East gives no refund on the balance, and it sells one card per person in principle. A child card works until 31 March after the child’s 12th birthday.
Welcome Suica machines stand at Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 Station and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) Station. JR EAST Travel Service Centers at Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama and Sendai stations also sell it. Our pages on IC cards at Narita Airport and IC cards at Haneda Airport show where to buy.
A regular Suica card works differently, with a 500 yen deposit. When you return it at a JR East station, you get the balance back minus a 220 yen fee, plus the deposit. Our IC card refund guide and the Welcome Suica vs Suica comparison cover the details. For machines and amounts, see topping up an IC card.
After 2027, JR East has more plans, all with tentative names or target years.
| Plan | Timing | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Suica app (tentative name) | Fiscal 2028 | Planned |
| Dokodemo Kaisatsu tablet gates | From fiscal 2030 | Planned |
| Suica at every JR East station | Early 2030s | Target |
| Sumaho Kaisatsu phone gates | Mid-2030s | Target |
| Pay-later Suica | No date | Planned |
Dokodemo Kaisatsu reads Suica taps on tablet-type devices at stations or on trains. Sumaho Kaisatsu uses GPS on your own phone with no tap, and works with Mobile Suica only. Pay-later use would link a credit card or bank account instead of a top-up.
Whatever happens to the design, the Suica card in your hand works the same way at the gate.
To pick a card before you fly, start with where to buy a Suica and our Suica card guide. The IC cards hub lists the cards for other regions of Japan.
FAQ
Can I use teppay with Welcome Suica Mobile?
JR East describes teppay as a service for registered Mobile Suica members and adds it to the Mobile Suica app. Welcome Suica Mobile is a separate app for visitors. The higher teppay limits need an ID check with a My Number card, and a passport or residence card cannot be used.
Will Welcome Suica Mobile work on my Android phone in 2027?
Only on a Samsung Galaxy phone released in 2027 or later, once the service starts. JR East plans that for the first half of 2027 and will name the models and sales regions later. Other Android phones have no announced plan, so carry a Welcome Suica card.
Can I ride from Tokyo to Sendai on one Suica now?
No. The Tokyo area and the Sendai area are separate Suica areas, and you cannot tap in at one and out at the other. JR East merges its six areas into one at the end of fiscal 2026, with the start date still to come. Until then, buy a ticket for the trip.
Will Suica cards with the penguin still be sold?
Only until each sales point runs out of stock. After that, stations sell plain Suica cards with no character. The penguin retires on 31 March 2027, and a new character takes over from 1 April 2027.
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