Apple Pay Recharge Guide

VISA Notice: The VISA payment network started blocking foreign issue VISA cards for Apple Pay In-App use with Suica, PASMO and ICOCA in August 2022. Blocked cards show a ‘Payment Not Completed’ error when attempting to add money in Wallet. The VISA payment network unblocked Apple Pay Suica Wallet app recharge on iPhone with iOS 17.2 and later, but the issue is ongoing for PASMO and ICOCA.

Here’s the current situation based on user feedback:

iOS 17.2 Update
Non-JP VISA credit cards are working again for Apple Pay Suica recharge in Wallet app after updating to iOS 17.2 or later. The downside is that the iOS 17.2 and later requirement effectively limits non-JP VISA use with Suica to iPhone XS and later. The upside is that Mobile Suica transactions route to the card issuer user account instead of being blocked by the VISA payment network in Japan. This is an important difference as VISA problems with Suica can be resolved at the user account level with the card issuer which the user has some control over.

If VISA is not working, check your card issuer for fraud alerts or temporary declines that need clearing, some users report having the card issuer specifically whitelist Mobile Suica Apple merchant transactions. Direct Suica recharge on Apple Watch Wallet is still NG, but recharge using the iPhone Watch App (iOS 17.2 and later) works: select the Suica card in Watch app Wallet, tap card details, tap Add Money.

New developments will be posted to this page, credit card experiences and feedback from users is welcome and much appreciated.

Updated 2024-04-22 JST

These are 2 basic ways to recharge (add money, reload, top-up, charge) Apple Pay Suica • PASMO • ICOCA:
1) Apple Pay Recharge in Wallet app
2) Cash Recharge with JPY bills
Suica • PASMO • ICOCA can hold up to ¥20,000

Apple Wallet Recharge
The easiest way to add money to Suica • PASMO • ICOCA is Apple Wallet. It’s the single most powerful, convenient and unique feature of Apple Pay in 4 simple steps:

  • Open Wallet
  • Select Suica • PASMO • ICOCA
  • Tap “Add Money” and choose amount
  • Pay with Apple Pay: select an In-App eligible payment card to pay, most Apple Pay credit-debit-prepaid payment cards already in Wallet issued in your home country work for Suica • PASMO • ICOCA Recharge*
Add Money
Add Money
Choose Amount
Choose Amount
Pay with Apple Pay
Pay with Apple Pay
Check status, when Updating Cards finishes and the Balance updates Suica•PASMO is ready to go
Check status, when Updating Cards finishes and the Balance updates Suica•PASMO is ready to go

Save money using a “No Foreign Transaction Fee” card. Finding the optimum card that earns bonus points without foreign exchange transaction fees for adding money to Suica will save you money.

Be aware that Apple Pay Recharge is not available during Mobile Suica•Mobile PASMO•Mobile ICOCA nightly system maintenance from 2:00 am to 4:00 am JST.

Cash Recharge
Suica • PASMO • ICOCA can be recharged without a network connection using ¥1,000, ¥5,000, ¥10,000 bills. Cash recharge is available at any time regardless of nightly Mobile Suica/Mobile PASMO/Mobile ICOCA system maintenance.

  • Station smart-charge machines: available in Tokyo and Osaka area train and metro stations shown in the pictures and video below. Place iPhone or Apple Watch (take off the wrist) in the reader bin or on the flat reader area depending on the kiosk type, select ¥1,000, ¥5,000 or ¥10,000 bills you want to add on the touch screen and feed bills to start the process. The blue bin/reader flashes red while the kiosk recharges the card, then turns blue again when done. You also get a notification on your device. Some smart-recharge machines in non-JR East stations also have a coin slot for adding a pre-selected coin amount, convenient for using up coins and lightening your wallet.
  • Any Seven Bank or LAWSON Bank (new model) ATM: not as fast as station smart-charge machines but Seven Bank•LAWSON BANK ATMs are plentiful, nationwide and open 24/7. They are even placed in station areas.
  • Any convenience store checkout: Go to the checkout at any convenience or station store like NewDays, tell the store clerk Suica “charge” (or just “charge” while showing Suica on your device) and follow the checkout screen instructions as shown in video below.

If you have multiple Suica • PASMO • ICOCA cards in Wallet, the Express Mode set card is the recharge default when iPhone is placed in a bin or on a reader. To recharge a Suica • PASMO • ICOCA not set for Express Mode, put the card in Service Mode before starting the recharge process.

Suica Charge Kiosk at JR station
Recharge with cash at any convenience store or the new smart-charge kiosks at JR and PASMO stations, language options are on the touchscreen. Here is a JR East smart-recharge bin type
Smart-recharge flat reader type at a PASMO station (Metro, etc.)

Recharge Troubleshooting
The most important thing about Apple Pay recharge is making sure you have a robust network connection.

  • Apple Pay Recharge requires a good network connection, if free WiFi and auto connect carrier WiFi connections are unreliable (often the case), use 4G/5G instead.
  • The Apple Pay ‘ding’ and ‘Done’ notification does not mean Apple Pay Recharge is completed. Check card status: when the ‘Updating Card’ alert disappears and the Balance updates, Suica • PASMO • ICOCA is ready to go. If the recharge process seems stuck because of a poor network connection, cancel the recharge by clicking the sleep button and try again when you have a better connection. If you make many failed recharge attempts, you will see the failed recharges on your credit or debit card but not on the card balance. Do not panic: these are temporary charges that are not processed and automatically removed by the Mobile Suica/PASMO/ICOCA system within 24 hours during the nightly system maintenance period. Depending on your bank, the temporary charges on your card are erased after a certain period of time. More Recharge hang troubleshooting here.
  • *Cards that do not support In-App payments cannot be used for recharge. Use another card: check the Apple Pay Choose Card screen and confirm that your bank payment card supports In-app payments. If not, choose another Apple Pay card in the Choose Card screen.
  • Apple Pay Enhanced Fraud Prevention. If your card is declined either at the payment terminal or In-App Suica • PASMO • ICOCA recharge: check with your card issuer bank as Apple Pay Enhanced Fraud Prevention may be causing them to decline payment based on Apple Pay attempts when traveling outside of your home country. From Apple: For cards with certain enhanced fraud prevention features, when you attempt an online or in-app transaction, your device will evaluate information about your Apple ID, device and location (if you have enabled Location Services) to develop fraud prevention assessments, which are used by Apple to identify and prevent fraud. Apple will share the fraud prevention assessments as well as information about your transaction (such as purchase amount, currency and date) with your payment card network for fraud prevention.
Check payment card eligibility in the Apple Pay Choose Card pop-up window

Support

Always use the latest iOS and watchOS versions and make sure your device has a robust network connection.

Mobile Suica/Mobile PASMO/Mobile ICOCA nightly system maintenance from 2:00 (am) to 4:00 (am) JST. Many functions are not available: adding cards, Apple Pay Recharge, using Suica • PASMO • ICOCA apps, suspending or removing cards from Find My iPhone and iCloud.com. Cash Recharge can be done at any time and is not affected by system maintenance.

Apple Pay Suica•PASMO support and general troubleshooting topics here

Updated 2024-01-30