Welcome Suica: the IC card for visitors to Japan

Can you buy Welcome Suica now?

27 March 2025

From 27 March 2025 Welcome Suica is sold at the locations listed by JR East, and in principle only one card is sold to each person.

Sales temporarily halted at some stations

JR East's list shows Welcome Suica sales as temporarily halted at the Travel Service Centers of Kashiwa, Kawasaki, Tachikawa, Ōmiya, Funabashi, Fukushima and Niigata stations.

Long-term version: bulk purchase only

The long-term Welcome Suica is valid for up to 6 months from the date of issue, but it is available only for bulk purchase and is not sold at JR EAST Travel Service Centers.

Checked on the issuer's page on 5 October 2026. Sales and prices change: confirm before you travel.

Where to buy Welcome Suica

JR EAST Travel Service Centers (airports, big stations)

Welcome Suica is sold at JR EAST Travel Service Centers at Narita Airport Terminal 1, Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) stations, and at Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama and Sendai stations.

Airports

Welcome Suica ticket vending machines are at Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) Station.

JAPAN RAIL CAFÉ (Tokyo) and Takanawa Gateway

Welcome Suica is also sold at JAPAN RAIL CAFÉ at Tokyo Station and at the TAKANAWA GATEWAY Travel Service Center at Takanawa Gateway Station.

Narita Airport Terminal 1

The JR EAST Travel Service Center at Narita Airport Terminal 1 is open from 8:30 to 19:00 all year round.

Narita Airport Terminal 2・3

The JR EAST Travel Service Center at Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 is open from 8:30 to 20:00 all year round.

Haneda Airport Terminal 3

The JR EAST Travel Service Center at Haneda is open from 6:45 to 20:00 all year round, next to the ticket gate on the 2nd floor of Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station.

Price, deposit and top-ups

Price from

from 1,000 yen

Deposit

No deposit

Max balance

20,000 yen

Valid for

28 days from purchase

Price

Welcome Suica is sold at 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 or 10,000 yen for adults and children.

Deposit

Welcome Suica needs no deposit when you buy the card.

Maximum balance

A Welcome Suica can be topped up to a maximum of 20,000 yen.

Top-ups

You can top up Welcome Suica with yen at ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines and Seven Bank ATMs such as those at 7-Eleven; a credit card cannot be used.

Points

Customers with a Welcome Suica can receive special promotions at stations, commercial facilities around stations and hotels through JR EAST Rewards.

Where you can use Welcome Suica

Main area

Welcome Suica can be used on train lines, subways and buses in the Tokyo metropolitan area, on the Tokyo Monorail between Haneda Airport and Tokyo, and in the Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka and Akita areas and parts of the Hokkaido, Tokai, West Japan and Kyushu areas.

Other areas

Welcome Suica can be used nationwide on trains and buses, at shops and on vending machines that show the mutual-use logo or the Suica, Kitaca, PASMO, manaca, TOICA, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca or SUGOCA logo, but not at stores in the PiTaPa areas.

Watch out

Welcome Suica cannot be used for continuous travel between areas, and a journey begun in one area must end in that area; when crossing to another area, leave the ticket gate first and then re-enter.

Watch out

To ride limited express or express trains or Green Cars with Welcome Suica, buy the related ticket in advance.

Shops

Welcome Suica can be used for purchases onboard trains and from vending machines, to rent coin lockers, and at convenience stores and restaurants.

Welcome Suica on your phone

App

JR East's Welcome Suica page points to the Welcome Suica Mobile app, which lets you ride trains and buses and shop with a single tap.

Refunds, expiry and lost cards

Refund

Welcome Suica cannot be refunded, whatever the validity period or the remaining balance on the card.

Refund

If the card itself is faulty, JR EAST refunds the balance at a JR EAST Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi) in a Suica area, from the day after the application until 14 days after the validity period ends; bring the faulty card and the certificate.

Expiry

The validity period is 28 days including the date of purchase, and the GOOD THRU date on the back of the card is not the expiration date.

Registered card

In JR East's comparison table, both Welcome Suica Mobile and the Welcome Suica card are listed as unregistered (non-named).

If you lose it

A lost Welcome Suica card cannot be reissued.

Cards for children

child

The child Welcome Suica can be used until 31 March after the child's 12th birthday, and an ID for the child, such as a passport, is needed to buy it; a family member may buy it for the child.

The official wording

The issuer's own words, as published on its English pages.

Related items

• Welcome Suica vs Suica
• Welcome Suica vs TOURIST PASMO
• Welcome Suica Mobile
• Suica on iPhone
• Suica on Android
• Mobile PASMO
• IC card refunds
• Topping up an IC card