ICOCA vs Suica: the differences and which to get

ICOCA is an electronic card for riding trains and, as electronic money, for shopping at various stores. JR-West says it works on railways and buses all across Japan. Suica is a prepaid IC card: tap it on the ticket gate and the fare is taken from the balance, and it also works as e-money in shops. JR-West's English page says the original design ICOCA exclusive to foreign visitors is for people with a passport issued by a government other than Japan who enter as a Temporary Visitor. Japanese nationals, including those with permanent residence abroad, cannot use it. The limit is 1 per person.

Updated October 5, 2026

ICOCA and Suica side by side

ICOCA and Suica compared, from the issuers' pages (checked 5 October 2026)
	ICOCA	Suica
Issued by	West Japan Railway (JR-West)	JR East
Main area	ICOCA Area (JR-West)	Tokyo area plus Sendai, Niigata, Aomori and more
Price	2,000 yen (500 yen deposit included)	1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 / 4,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 yen
Deposit	500 yen, returned with the card	500 yen
Expiry	Can expire after 10 years unused	Invalid after 10 years unused
Refund	220 yen fee per card	220 yen fee; deposit back
Where to buy	JR-West ticket machines and Midori-no-madoguchi	JR East multifunction machines and ticket offices
Who can buy	Passport and short-stay status; 1 per person

The details, card by card

Issued by

ICOCA: ICOCA is a registered trademark of West Japan Railway Co., Ltd.
Suica: Suica is a JR East IC card that can be used on trains, buses and for shopping.

Main area

ICOCA: ICOCA is accepted throughout the ICOCA usage area, labeled ICOCA Area (JR-West), as well as in participating areas of other IC cards.
Suica: Suica works on trains, subways, buses and monorails in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and on some public transport in Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka, Akita, Hokkaido, Tokai, West Japan, Kyushu and Okinawa.

Price

ICOCA: An ICOCA card is 2,000 yen including a 500 yen deposit. Some ticket machines also sell it at 1,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen, each including the 500 yen deposit.
Suica: JR East lists Suica cards at 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen for adults and children.

Deposit

ICOCA: If you insert 2,000 yen when buying an ICOCA at a ticket machine, 1,500 yen goes on the card as balance. The 500 yen deposit is redeemed when you return the card to a JR-WEST Ticket Office.
Suica: A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.

Expiry

ICOCA: JR West's ICOCA terms say that if none of card exchange, use or top-up of the balance, or commuter pass renewal happens for 10 years, JR West may invalidate the ICOCA in cases it has specially decided. The balance and deposit of an invalidated ICOCA cannot be claimed back.
Suica: A Suica card becomes invalid if it is not used for 10 years.

Refund

ICOCA: JR West's ICOCA terms say a customer who no longer needs an ICOCA can claim back the balance, and a fee of 220 yen per card is charged.
Suica: Return a JR East Suica at a JR East station: you get the balance minus a 220 yen fee, plus the 500 yen deposit.

Where to buy

ICOCA: At JR-West stations an ICOCA can be bought from ticket vending machines with the ICOCA mark or at a JR-WEST ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi). The machine screen can be switched to English.
Suica: Inside the Suica area, My Suica (registered) and Suica cards are sold at JR East multifunction machines, Midori-no-madoguchi ticket offices and operator-assisted reserved-seat machines, and at Shinkansen-station ticket offices. Stations with only partial Suica support do not sell them.

Who can buy

ICOCA: JR-West's English page says the original design ICOCA exclusive to foreign visitors is for people with a passport issued by a government other than Japan who enter as a Temporary Visitor. Japanese nationals, including those with permanent residence abroad, cannot use it. The limit is 1 per person.

Frequently asked questions

Is the issued by different on ICOCA and Suica?

ICOCA is a registered trademark of West Japan Railway Co., Ltd. Suica is a JR East IC card that can be used on trains, buses and for shopping.

Is the main area different on ICOCA and Suica?

ICOCA is accepted throughout the ICOCA usage area, labeled ICOCA Area (JR-West), as well as in participating areas of other IC cards. Suica works on trains, subways, buses and monorails in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and on some public transport in Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka, Akita, Hokkaido, Tokai, West Japan, Kyushu and Okinawa.

Is the price different on ICOCA and Suica?

An ICOCA card is 2,000 yen including a 500 yen deposit. Some ticket machines also sell it at 1,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen, each including the 500 yen deposit. JR East lists Suica cards at 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen for adults and children.

Is the deposit different on ICOCA and Suica?

If you insert 2,000 yen when buying an ICOCA at a ticket machine, 1,500 yen goes on the card as balance. The 500 yen deposit is redeemed when you return the card to a JR-WEST Ticket Office. A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.

Is the expiry different on ICOCA and Suica?

JR West's ICOCA terms say that if none of card exchange, use or top-up of the balance, or commuter pass renewal happens for 10 years, JR West may invalidate the ICOCA in cases it has specially decided. The balance and deposit of an invalidated ICOCA cannot be claimed back. A Suica card becomes invalid if it is not used for 10 years.