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SUGOCA card (JR Kyushu): price, refund and where it works

SUGOCA is a card that works as an IC card ticket and also has an electronic money function. A plain SUGOCA costs 2,000 yen: 500 yen is kept as a deposit and 1,500 yen can be used for fares and e-money.

Updated

500yen deposit

Can you buy SUGOCA now?

17 January 2026
SUGOCA's usable area in the Miyazaki region was expanded from the first train on 17 January 2026. SUGOCA is sold at Miyazaki, Minami-Miyazaki, Miyazaki Airport and Sadowara stations, with only unregistered cards at Sadowara.

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

Where to buy SUGOCA

Unregistered at machines; others at ticket offices
An unregistered SUGOCA can be bought at ticket vending machines that sell SUGOCA. Registered, child, special-design, commuter pass and disabled-user SUGOCA are sold only at JR Kyushu ticket offices (Midori-no-madoguchi) inside the SUGOCA area.

Price, deposit and top-ups

Price from
2,000 yen
Deposit
500 yen, returned with the card
Price
A plain SUGOCA costs 2,000 yen: 500 yen is kept as a deposit and 1,500 yen can be used for fares and e-money.
Deposit
The 500 yen deposit is returned when you hand the card back, for example at a refund.
Top-ups
You can top up a SUGOCA at ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines and charging machines with the SUGOCA mark, but not at ticket offices. Top-up is cash only; credit cards cannot be used.
Top-ups
You can top up in six amounts: 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 or 10,000 yen. Charging machines on platforms take 1,000 to 5,000 yen and give no change.

Where you can use SUGOCA

Other areas
With one SUGOCA you can ride the Fukuoka City Subway, Nishitetsu trains and Nishitetsu buses. It also works in the Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa and ICOCA areas.
Watch out
SUGOCA cannot be used for a trip that crosses between the Fukuoka-Saga-Nagasaki-Oita-Kumamoto area, the Kagoshima area and the Miyazaki area.
Shinkansen
The balance of a SUGOCA cannot be used to ride the Kyushu Shinkansen or the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen.
Watch out
You can use only one SUGOCA per ride. You cannot use several cards at once or combine a SUGOCA with another ticket, except at the Shinkansen transfer gates of Hakata and Kokura.
Watch out
No Nishitetsu bus transfer discount applies when you use a SUGOCA.

Refunds, expiry and lost cards

Registered card
To buy a registered SUGOCA or a child SUGOCA you fill in an application form with your name, date of birth and gender.
Refund
A SUGOCA is refunded only at a JR Kyushu ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi) inside the SUGOCA area, not at ticket gates, fare adjustment offices or in other IC card areas. If the balance is 220 yen or less, only the 500 yen deposit is returned.
Refund
In other IC card areas, some services such as selling passes, refunds and reissue applications for a lost card are not handled.
If you lose it
A lost registered SUGOCA, SUGOCA commuter pass or disabled-user SUGOCA is reissued from the next day at a JR Kyushu SUGOCA-area station, for a 520 yen fee plus a new 500 yen deposit, 1,020 yen in cash in total.

Cards for children

Valid until March 31 of the year the child turns 12
A child SUGOCA is valid until March 31 of the fiscal year in which the child turns 12, and buying one needs an official ID.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy a SUGOCA?

An unregistered SUGOCA can be bought at ticket vending machines that sell SUGOCA. Registered, child, special-design, commuter pass and disabled-user SUGOCA are sold only at JR Kyushu ticket offices (Midori-no-madoguchi) inside the SUGOCA area.

Is there a deposit on SUGOCA?

The 500 yen deposit is returned when you hand the card back, for example at a refund.

How much does a SUGOCA cost?

A plain SUGOCA costs 2,000 yen: 500 yen is kept as a deposit and 1,500 yen can be used for fares and e-money.

Can I get a refund on SUGOCA?

A SUGOCA is refunded only at a JR Kyushu ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi) inside the SUGOCA area, not at ticket gates, fare adjustment offices or in other IC card areas. If the balance is 220 yen or less, only the 500 yen deposit is returned. In other IC card areas, some services such as selling passes, refunds and reissue applications for a lost card are not handled.

Can I use SUGOCA outside Kyushu?

With one SUGOCA you can ride the Fukuoka City Subway, Nishitetsu trains and Nishitetsu buses. It also works in the Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa and ICOCA areas.

How do I top up SUGOCA?

You can top up a SUGOCA at ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines and charging machines with the SUGOCA mark, but not at ticket offices. Top-up is cash only; credit cards cannot be used. You can top up in six amounts: 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 or 10,000 yen. Charging machines on platforms take 1,000 to 5,000 yen and give no change.

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Compiled by Japan Japan !! · Updated October 5, 2026