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Suica card: where to buy, price, refund and where it works

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 East resumed selling unregistered (non-named) Suica cards on 1 March 2025, after sales had been halted. A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.

Updated

500yen deposit
20,000yen maximum balance

On sale

Can you buy Suica now?

1 March 2025
JR East resumed selling unregistered (non-named) Suica cards on 1 March 2025, after sales had been halted.
1 September 2024
JR East resumed selling registered (named) Suica cards on 1 September 2024; sales had stopped because of a semiconductor shortage.
8 June 2023
Because of a worldwide semiconductor shortage, JR East stopped selling unregistered Suica cards from 8 June 2023 for the time being.

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

Where to buy Suica

JR East multifunction machines and ticket offices
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.

Price, deposit and top-ups

Price from
from 1,000 yen
Deposit
500 yen
Max balance
20,000 yen
Valid for
Invalid after 10 years unused
Deposit
A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.
Price
JR East lists Suica cards at 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen for adults and children.
Maximum balance
You can top up as many times as you like, but the balance on a Suica card cannot go above 20,000 yen.
Top-ups
Top up with cash at ticket machines and fare adjustment machines in units of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 yen; a credit card cannot be used.

Where you can use Suica

Watch out
Suica works only inside each area and cannot be used for a single journey from one area to another, for example from the Tokyo area to the Sendai area.
Watch out
My Suica (registered) and Suica cards cannot be bought with credit cards other than a View Card.
Main area
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.
Other areas
Suica can be used anywhere the logos of Suica, Kitaca, PASMO, manaca, toica, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca or SUGOCA are displayed.
Shops
Once topped up, a Suica card can be used at convenience stores, shopping malls and restaurants as well as on trains.
Watch out
To ride a limited express or express train, or a Green Car, with Suica you must buy the separate limited express ticket.
Shinkansen
With Touch de Go! Shinkansen you register your Suica or another transit IC card once for free, then tap at the automatic ticket gate to ride non-reserved seats on the Shinkansen. You need enough balance on the card.
Other areas
Suica e-money can be used at shops that show the Kitaca, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, SUGOCA, nimoca or Hayakaken mark as well as the Suica mark; PiTaPa is excluded.
Watch out
The fare is deducted automatically from the Suica balance when you leave through the gate, but you cannot enter if the balance is less than the initial fare (IC fare).
Watch out
Use only one Suica at a time, and do not put more than one IC card in the pass case.
Trains and buses
On the local-train Green Cars of the Tōkaidō, Yokosuka, Sōbu Rapid, Shōnan-Shinjuku, Ueno-Tōkyō, Utsunomiya, Takasaki, Jōban, Chūō and other lines, the Suica-based Green Car Suica system can be used.

Refunds, expiry and lost cards

Refund
Return a JR East Suica at a JR East station: you get the balance minus a 220 yen fee, plus the 500 yen deposit.
Expiry
A Suica card becomes invalid if it is not used for 10 years.
Registered card
My Suica (registered) records your name, date of birth and sex when you buy it, and a lost card can be reissued from that information; wrong details can block a reissue or refund.
Expiry
A child Suica has an expiry date: it is valid until 31 March of the year the child graduates from elementary school and cannot be used after that.
If you lose it
A lost My Suica (registered) card or Suica commuter pass can be reissued: JR East stops the lost card and issues a new one, guaranteeing the balance or the commuter pass section.

Cards for children

child
Child Suica is sold only as the registered My Suica, there is no unregistered child card, and ID for the child, such as a My Number card, is needed to buy it.

The official wording

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

The official wording
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Suica cards are a prepaid form of electronic money that are convenient to use when traveling and shopping. … Simply tap your Suica card onto the ticket gate and the fare will automatically be deducted from the card’s balance.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)When purchasing a new card, a 500-yen deposit is included in the price. … Your deposit will be refunded when you return the card.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Adult | 1,000 yen | 2,000 yen | 3,000 yen | 4,000 yen | 5,000 yen | 10,000 yenSuica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)The number of times you can top up is unlimited but the maximum balance is 20,000 yen.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Top ups can be made in increments of 500 yen, 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 5,000 yen, or 10,000 yen. … Top ups can only be made using cash. Suica cards cannot be topped up using a credit card.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Suica cards issued by JR East can only be returned at JR East stations. … When returning the Suica card, a 220 yen handling fee will be deducted from the remaining balance on your card. … The 500 yen deposit and the remaining balance will be refunded when the Suica card is returned.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)If a Suica card is not used for 10 years, it will become invalid.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Suica cards can only be used within the applicable areas. You cannot use them to travel between each area. … (For example, you cannot use it to travel to the Sendai area from the Tokyo metropolitan area.)Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Suica cards can be used on trains, subways, buses and monorails in the metropolitan area. … Besides the metropolitan area, Suica cards can also be used on some public transportation in Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka, Akita, Hokkaido, Tokai, West Japan, Kyushu, and Okinawa.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)The Suica card is available for use anywhere the following card logos are displayed. Suica Kitaca PASMO manaca toica ICOCA Hayakaken nimoca SUGOCASuica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Once you top up your Suica card, it can be used at convenience stores, shopping malls, restaurants, etc., in addition to riding trains.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)When using your Suica to ride a super (limited) express train, an express train, or in a green car, you will need to purchase a super (limited) express train ticket separately.Suica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)Suica is a JR EAST IC card that can be used on trains, buses, for shopping, and more.What’s a Suica (IC Card)?

Frequently asked questions

Can you buy a Suica now?

JR East resumed selling unregistered (non-named) Suica cards on 1 March 2025, after sales had been halted. JR East resumed selling registered (named) Suica cards on 1 September 2024; sales had stopped because of a semiconductor shortage.

Where can I buy a 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.

Is there a deposit on Suica?

A new Suica card includes a 500 yen deposit in its price, and the deposit is refunded when you return the card.

How much does a Suica cost?

JR East lists Suica cards at 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen for adults and children.

Can I get a refund on 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.

Does Suica expire?

A Suica card becomes invalid if it is not used for 10 years. A child Suica has an expiry date: it is valid until 31 March of the year the child graduates from elementary school and cannot be used after that.

Related items

Sources for this page

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