Welcome Suica vs Suica: which card should visitors get?

Welcome Suica is e-money for travel and shopping for temporary visitors, and it can be used for 28 days beginning with the date of purchase. 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.

Updated October 5, 2026

Welcome Suica and Suica side by side

Welcome Suica and Suica compared, from the issuers' pages (checked 5 October 2026)
	Welcome Suica	Suica
Issued by	East Japan Railway Company (JR East)	JR East
Main area	Tokyo area, Tokyo Monorail, parts of other areas	Tokyo area plus Sendai, Niigata, Aomori and more
Price	1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 / 4,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 yen	1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 / 4,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 yen
Deposit	No deposit	500 yen
Expiry	28 days from purchase; GOOD THRU is not expiry	Invalid after 10 years unused
Refund	No refunds	220 yen fee; deposit back
Where to buy	JR EAST Travel Service Centers (airports, big stations)	JR East multifunction machines and ticket offices

The details, card by card

Issued by

Welcome Suica: Welcome Suica is issued under the East Japan Railway Company's procedural regulations for IC cards for foreign visitors to Japan.
Suica: Suica is a JR East IC card that can be used on trains, buses and for shopping.

Main area

Welcome Suica: 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.
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

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

Welcome Suica: Welcome Suica needs no deposit when you buy the card.
Suica: A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.

Expiry

Welcome Suica: 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.
Suica: A Suica card becomes invalid if it is not used for 10 years.

Refund

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

Welcome Suica: 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.
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.

Frequently asked questions