Apple Pay Suica Guide

Notice: this guide covers regular Apple Pay Suica, see the Welcome Suica Mobile iOS app page for information about the 180 day limited tourist version.

Suica is a Japanese prepaid transit card for nationwide rail and bus transit and super fast ‘tap to pay’ purchases at stores, vending machines, restaurants and more. Mobile Suica offers exclusive digital advantages such as adding money to the Suica card with credit/debit cards, instant feedback on the current Suica balance, recent payments and in progress transit status. You can link pre-purchased Shinkansen eTickets to Apple Pay Suica for seamless tap transfers across local rail and Shinkansen lines. Anybody with iPhone XS • Apple Watch 4 and later can directly add Suica in Wallet app with a few taps. Enjoy the convenience of a tap to pay with the privacy of cash thanks to Apple Pay Global NFC support.

Sections

Add Suica to Wallet

Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are the same and mutually compatible for regular transit and payments but Apple Pay Suica has Suica Day Passes, Suica Green Car Tickets and other options not available on PASMO or ICOCA, it also has the widest support for foreign issue credit•debit cards.

Requirements

  • iPhone XS • Apple Watch 4 and later updated to the latest OS version recommended for the widest support of foreign issue Apple Pay payment cards.
  • Apple Pay payment card already in Wallet for adding money to Suica. Set up Apple Pay with a payment card if you are not using Apple Pay. Some foreign issue cards only allow you to add money to Suica when your device is located in Japan. Latest info and updates here.
  • Apple ID set up for two-factor authentication.
  • iOS Location Services must be turned on for Wallet app
  • Outside of the nightly 2 am~4 am JST Mobile Suica system maintenance downtime.
  • Robust network connection.

Add a new card

  • Open iPhone or Apple Watch Wallet App and tap Add button “+” (iPhone Wallet) or “Add Card” (Apple Watch Wallet).
  • Tap Transit Card.
  • Tap Suica, Tap Continue.
  • Select ¥ amount and tap Add (depending on your country laws and bank regulations, your credit card may be blocked from adding money when your device location is outside of Japan).
  • Follow the screen prompts to create a new Suica card on your iPhone.
  • *If you added a Suica previously and removed it, re-add the card by selecting Previous Cards.
Tap Transit Card
Follow the screen prompts to add Suica and initial prepaid card balace

Transfer a plastic card
Have your Suica card ready and the last 4 digits of the ID number on the back. (Note: only cards issued by JR East can be transferred. Cards issued by other companies such as Suica Tokyo Monorail, Suica Rinkai, cannot be transferred to Apple Wallet). The plastic card is invalid after transferring it to iPhone or Apple Watch and cannot be used again.

  • Open iPhone or Apple Watch Wallet App and tap the Add button “+” (iPhone Wallet) or “Add Card” (Apple Watch Wallet), tap Continue, tap Transit, Tap Suica, tap Continue, tap Transfer Existing Card.
  • Enter the last 4 digits of the Suica ID number.
  • If transferring My Suica, or Commuter Suica enter your date of birth.
  • Transfer the card by resting the top of your iPhone on the middle of the card and leave without moving it, this may take a few minutes to complete.
  • The ¥500 card deposit is automatically added to the balance when the transfer is successfully completed.
  • Beware of linked services: the plastic card number changes when transferred to Wallet. If your plastic Suica card was registered for any linked services such as EX • smartEX or Eki-Net eTickets see the Linked Services section below to get the new card number.
Enter last 4 digits of plastic ID number and date of birth (if applicable), agree to terms, transfer value, done

Move card to Apple Watch
Transfer Suica from iPhone or vice versa with Watch app. See “Move your Suica, PASMO or ICOCA from your iPhone to your Apple Watch” in Add a Suica, PASMO, ICOCA card to Apple Wallet support page for details. You cannot transfer a card between devices during transit.

Inbound Tip
PASMO has one small advantage for inbound visitors without Apple Pay support in their home country: add a new PASMO in Wallet with PASMO App. Download and open PASMO App, follow the screenshots to add a ¥0 balance unregistered PASMO card to Wallet. Add a balance with cash and use Apple Pay PASMO without the need of a credit card.

Add Money with Apple Pay
Add money (Recharge) Suica with Apple Pay, from anywhere while on the go, it’s the best thing about going digital:

  • Tap Suica card in Wallet.
  • Tap Add Money.
  • Choose the amount, tap Add.
  • Pay with Apple Pay: select the card you want to pay from and use Face ID/Touch ID to pay (depending on your country laws and bank regulations, your credit card may be blocked from adding money when your device location is outside of Japan). See Apple Pay Recharge Guide for details and latest updates.
Add Money
Choose Amount
Pay with Apple Pay

Recharge with Cash
Recharge Suica with Japanese cash at any time, 24/7. This is the best option for inbound visitors without an Apple Pay payment card or from a country where Apple Pay is not available yet:

  • Convenience Store Recharge: recharge at any convenience store cash register. Tell the store clerk “Suica Charge”, and follow checkout screen instructions as shown on the Recharge page.
  • Station Smart-Charge Kiosks: as shown on the Recharge page. Place iPhone or Apple Watch in the blue reader bin, select the amount of money you want to add on the touch screen and feed some bills to start the process, The blue bin flashes red while the kiosk recharges Apple Pay Suica, then turns blue again when done.
  • 7-Eleven ATM Cash Recharge: Seven Bank ATMs are plentiful and open 24 hours. Follow the screen prompts to add JPY cash Apple Pay Suica.
  • Local Bus: most local buses that accept Suica can also recharge it, tell the driver you want to recharge Suica, place your device on the reader and feed a 1,000 JPY bill into the fare box bill slot.

See Suica Recharge for details.

Express Transit Mode
Apple Pay Express Transit Mode is automatically turned on when you first add Suica card to Wallet. Face IC or Touch ID is not necessary with Express Transit Mode, you don’t need to wake or unlock your device or open an app to use transit or make purchases.

Simply hold the top of your iPhone or display of your Apple Watch within a few centimeters of the contactless reader until you see Done and a checkmark on the display. For transit gates glide through holding iPhone just above the blue reader area:

At some store checkouts you might need to select the Suica payment option on the checkout touchscreen before paying, most of the time just say, “Suica” to the checkout staff then hold iPhone or Apple Watch to the reader.

Only one Suica card can be set for Express Transit Mode. If you have multiple cards switch the Express Mode card in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay, tap Express Mode Card, choose a new card, then authorize with Face ID,Touch ID, or passcode.

Express Transit Mode on iPhone is very secure, it is disabled and requires passcode entry to reactivate when:

  • You turn on or restart your iPhone.
  • You haven’t unlocked your iPhone for more than 48 hours.
  • You haven’t unlocked your iPhone with the passcode in the last 5 days, and you haven’t unlocked it with Face ID or Touch ID in the last 4 hours.
  • Your iPhone receives a remote lock command.
  • There are five unsuccessful attempts to unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID.
  • An attempt to use Emergency SOS is initiated.
  • An attempt to view your Medical ID is initiated.
  • Express Transit Mode is disabled whenever you bring up the Emergency SOS/Shutdown screen intentionally or unintentionally, like putting iPhone in tight pant pockets that can depress both side buttons when you walk. I also recommend Face ID iPhone users turn off ‘Raise to Wake’ in Settings > Display & Brightness to reduce the chance of 5 Face ID misreads.

Express Transit Mode on Apple Watch remains active for 5 minutes after taking off Apple Watch. After 5 minutes, Express Mode deactivates until the Apple Watch passcode is entered.

Wallet can hold both Suica and PASMO but only one card can be set for Express Mode

Transit and Payments Coverage

Transit: Apple Pay Suica can be used nationwide on all major transit systems covering rail and bus. This includes compatibility with other regional transit card areas: TOICA, ICOCA, SUGOCA, Kitaca, manaca, nimoca, Hayaken, PiTaPa. Look for the Transit IC logo pictured below. Suica covers all basic fare but it does not cover extra charges such as express surcharges, reserved seating on express trains and Green Seats. It also does not cover Shinkansen transit this is separately purchased tickets. Suica linked Shinkansen eTickets are covered in the Linked Services section.

Payments: Apple Pay Suica is also good for contactless payments nationwide at convenience stores, vending machines, taxis and any store or payment terminal displaying the Transit IC logo or logo marks for: Suica, PASMO, TOICA, ICOCA, SUGOCA, Kitaca, manaca, nimoca, Hayaken. These cards are all compatible with each other for transit and purchases.


Battery and Network

Express Card Power Reserve Mode
Still good when out of juice: Apple Pay Express Mode with power reserve mode on iPhone XR/XS and later lasts up to 5 hours. You can use Express Mode power reserve for transit, purchase and cash recharge.

Linked Services

There are a number of available linked services for Apple Pay Suica such as Shinkansen eTickets. The first step for linked services is getting the card number. Use Suica App to get the full Suica card number (Wallet app only reveals the last 4 digits of Suica card numbers): download and launch the app then tap the card or the “ⓘ” below the card, tap and copy the string that begins with JE paste the number into any linked service.

Suica APP
Suica App
PASMO App

Linked services #1: Shinkansen eTickets

Eki-Net eTickets cover JR-East Shinkansen lines
EX Reserve/smartEXetickets cover JR Central, JR West, JR Kyushu Shinkansen lines

Apple Pay Suica can be used for both Shinkansen and regular transit, there are 3 ways to use them for Shinkansen travel. The following services are domestic ticket services for people living in Japan. Short term tourists have better ticket options using JR East Train Reservation or Japan Rail Pass or similar inbound visitor ticketing service though they can use these as well.


Linked services #2: JRE POINT
If you are in Japan using Apple Pay Suica in the long term register a JRE POINT account and Mobile Suica account to earn points with Suica recharges, Suica transit on JR East lines, store purchases and other extras:
1) Set up a Mobile Suica account in Suica App for purchasing day passes, commute plans and receiving free Suica recharge with JRE POINT.
2) Set up a JRE POINT account and earn JRE POINT with Suica transit use, Apple Pay recharge, JR East Shinkansen eTicket purchases, and store purchases. Use your JRE POINT for free Suica recharges, Green Car Seat upgrades, and all domestic JR East ticket purchases in the Eki-Net reservation service (web and app).

JRE POINT Beginners Guide Chart

Support Tips and Troubleshooting

Beware the Apple Pay ‘ding’
Express Transit Mode is great, but beware of the Apple Pay ‘ding’ sound notification, especially when using it for non-transit payments. The Apple Pay ‘ding’ can be deceiving: users think it means the payment is done. It does not. The Apple Pay ‘ding’ and displayed check mark only means, ‘iPhone has sent its part of the transaction to the reader’. The truth lies with the reader terminal and a complete ‘all clear’ transaction reader beep is the real notification. Apple Pay users mistakenly assume the ding means all done and pull away too soon resulting in a payment error: keep your device still until the payment reader sounds an ‘all complete’ notification.

In Progress Transit errors: Don’t forget to tap in and tap out
Many people visiting Japan are not familiar with distance based transit fare systems used with the majority of rail and bus lines. Some people simply exit the gate and forget to tap out or tap incorrectly but keep walking even though the gate sounds an alarm. The Suica card remains ‘In Progress’ transit fare unpaid status and users cannot use Suica for transit until the fare is paid and ‘In Progress’ transit status cleared.

In Progress Transit means you forgot to tap out and the fare for your previous transit remains unpaid. Settle the fare at the nearest station gate attendant window.

If you get an alert when tapping in, check your Suica transaction list in Wallet and see if there is any ‘In Progress – Transit’ showing. Go to the nearest station agent window and settle fare to remove In Progress Transit status.

Apple Pay Suica is linked to your Apple ID
If you sign out of iCloud, the Apple Pay Suica is deleted from Wallet and stored on iCloud. See Transfer Suica and other transit cards to a new iPhone to restore the card. You must sign in with the same Apple ID used to re-add Suica, you cannot re-add it if you sign into iCloud with a different Apple ID than the one used to add Suica.


JR East
Mobile Suica Support Portal

Apple Support
Add a Suica PASMO or ICOCA card to Apple Wallet
Using Suica, PASMO or ICOCA in Japan
If you can’t transfer plastic Suica, PASMO or ICOCA cards to your iPhone
If your transit card balance doesn’t update in Apple Wallet

Support Tips by Topic

General
Basic Suica Troubleshooting
Fare adjustments, In Progress transit and gate alerts
Reactivate a locked Suica
Suica recharge tips

Transfer • Recover • Remove
Move Suica to a new iPhone or Apple Watch
Recover Apple Pay Suica from Lost or Wiped iPhone
Remove Suica from Wallet but not lose them

Commute Plan Renewal • Purchase • Use
Apple Pay Suica Commute Plan Guide
Apple Pay Suica commute plan use when transfer protocol is in effect

Notifications and Sounds
Suica Notification and Reminder Settings
Suica Gate Sounds and What They Mean

Suica App
Unlocking Suica App Security Lock
Apple Pay Suica Paper Receipts
Mobile Suica Withdrawal Refund with fee
Mobile Suica Withdrawal for free

Other Topics
Fixing Suica Lockout
Apple Pay Suica Battery FUD
Suica Inbound Battery Strategies
Apple Pay Express Mode with power reserve
Apple Pay Express Mode Tips
iPhone X NFC Problem

Mobile Suica Service Hours (24 hour format)
Mobile Suica credit card recharge and other services run 22 hours daily from 4:00 (am) to 2:00 (am) Japan Standard Time (JST). Services have a 2 hour system maintenance window or a little longer depending on the service. Using Mobile Suica use for payment and cash recharge is not affected by system maintenance and is always available.

Account Registration
04:00~02:00 Create new Mobile Suica account
05:00~00:50 Register and transfer Suica commuter pass to Mobile Suica account

Stored Fare Balance
04:00~02:00 Wallet App or Suica App recharge*
*(Cash recharge at stations, 7-11 ATMs, convenience stores is always available 24/7)
04:00~02:00 Auto-Charge registration/change settings/cancel (VEIW CARD)
05:00~00:50 View transaction history in Suica App
05:00~00:50 Download PDF receipts from Mobile Suica members site

Suica Commute Plans
05:00~23:45 Purchase, renew, refund or change commute plan route

Suica Green Car Tickets
04:00~00:50 Purchase Green Car Tickets in Suica App
05:00~00:50 Refund Green Car Tickets in Suica App

Suica Day Pass
04:00~23:45 Purchase Day Pass in Suica App
05:00~23:45 Refund Day Pass in Suica App

Other
05:00~23:45 Mobile Suica reissue
04:00~02:00 Transfer Suica to new device
05:00~23:45 Suica withdrawal refund

Updated 2025-03-10

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