4 Best Ways to Pay for Public Transport for Android Phone Users After Suica Pasmo Card Sale Suspension in 2023

Due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, the sale of the beloved and wildly popular physical Suica and Pasmo cards has been brought to an end in Japan, as of August 2, 2023.

These cards (Suica and Pasmo) have been a godsend for tourists in Japan who needed a quick and easy way to pay for Japanese train, subway, and bus fares during their vacations.

The Suica and Pasmo card sale suspension has caused concerns for visitors and tourists to Japan, about how they could easily pay for train and metro network without the assistance of these useful cards in the future (starting August 2023).

Best and Free Solution for iPhone Users

For those travelers who have iPhone, the fix is simple : All they need to do is adding a digital Suica transit card to their Apple Wallet FOR FREE, and load money into it (read the step-by-step guide on how to here), and they are good to go. Just tap the phone at ticket gate, and the digital Suica card automatically pays for the fares. Super simple and convenient!

But What If You Don’t Have an iPhone?

There is a huge proportion of tourists and visitors to Japan who use Android phones, not iPhones. Does this mean they are doomed? What should they do to conveniently and easily pay for Japanese public transportation?

I’m here to help you with that answer, and give you all the info you need to get your trip started on the right foot, with the right IC card.

So read on, and breathe in relief that you will walk away at the end of this article with a great and easy way to take care of your travel payment method.

4 Ways to Easily Pay for Japanese Public Transport for Visitors with Android Phones

1 . Most Expensive : Buy a Physical Suica or Pasmo Card from a travel agency or website to be shipped to you

Yup. You heard that right. There are many travel agency websites or e-commerce sites where you can go and order yourself a Suica or Pasmo card.

Officially, the new sale of these cards are already suspended in Japan. But for those who already own a Pasmo or Suica, you can still use it and top it up with money for daily usage, as usual.

There are retailers or travel agencies who still have them in stock, and you will probably spend 2 to 4 times more than the actual card value if you want to get your hands on one of these babies (not including shipping cost). And people do.

So if you want, you can do some Google searches and find an online retailer to buy them from, have them shipped to your house or to your Japanese hotel upon your arrival, and call it the day.

2 . Inexpensive : Get a Welcome Suica IC Card (Tourists Only) at the Airport

These Welcome Suica cards are just like the regular (suspended) Suica card in functions, with a few differences. Want to know what the differences compared to the normal Suica card? Read it here.

Welcome Suica cards are not only available for purchase at the train station area of Narita and Haneda airports. You can buy them at a designated Welcome Suica card vending machine, or go to the JR Ticket Counter there to be helped by the train staff.

If opting for purchasing at a Welcome Suica vending machine, make sure you either have cash (in yen) or a non-Visa credit/debit card with you. Visa cards have been known to have issues when it comes to using them at ticket machines for a long while now.

If you only have a Visa credit/debit card, don’t worry! Go to any JR ticket counter at the train area in the airport’s Arrivals area, and the staff will help you buy them with your Visa card.

Don’t forget to bring your passport with you to prove your foreign visitor status in Japan in order to be able to buy this tourist-only card.

3 . Inexpensive : Get a Pasmo Passport IC Card (Tourists Only) at the Airport or Any Major Metro Subway Station

What is a Pasmo Passport IC Card? In short, it is used the same way you would use the normal Pasmo (or Suica) card, with a few differences. For a comprehensive comparison between the two, check out this post.

Now that the normal Suica and Pasmo card sale is indefinitely suspended, it is time tourists give the Pasmo Passport a good look.

Most people heard about the wildly popular Suica card and its Welcome Suica cousin, but not many know about Pasmo. Therefore, expect the line of people to buy Pasmo Passport card being much shorter than that of the Welcome Suica. This is a great strategy if you don’t want to spend a long time waiting in line for a Welcome Suica.

Pasmo Passport IC card can be purchased at many different places in the airport, such as the Keisei Train ticket counter, the Keisei Skyliner ticket counter, Bus ticket counter, and more. Look for a sign in front of the counter with the word “Pasmo Passport card”, and you are good to go.

You can also purchase it at any major metro stations, which will have even shorter lines than those at the airports,

Make sure to bring your passport (with the immigration stamp within) to prove your visitor status, as the Pasmo Passport is only for foreign visitors to Japan.

4 . Inexpensive : Get an IC Card from Another Region (Tourists and Non-tourists Alike)

This is a great and convenient way for tourists who land in or visit other areas of Japan, not just Tokyo.

Many IC cards from other regions in Japan are very similar in functions, and can be used across Japan as well.

Some examples of these cards are ICOCA (in Osaka), TOICA (Chuyo), KITACA (Sapporo), SUGOCA (Fukuoka), Manaca, Toica (Central Japan), etc.

They are not currently affected by the Pasmo and Suica sale suspension. This means they are still available for purchase in their region in Japan, if you want to own a physical IC card that does pretty much the same things as the Suica and Pasmo cards.

If you land in either Haneda airport or Narita Airport and stay around Tokyo area, you can easily get a TOICA card at Counter # 2 of JR Tokai ticket office, ground floor of Tokyo Station, near Yaesu North Exit.

5 . [Extra] Free : Download Suica App

There is a Suica app (not the one inside Apple Wallet) which can be downloaded to your phone. However, the language in the app is all-Japanese only.

Thus, unless you are fluent in reading Japanese, I do not recommend downloading and using this app. It will be very confusing and frustrating for foreigners who don’t understand Japanese to use the app.

And there you have it, Android phone users. Easy peasy! Choose the option that works the best for your personal preference and traveling plans. And happy travels!

If you have any questions or just want to share your own travel stories, I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out to me at evelyn@japanoncloudnine.com, and let’s chat. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post, and happy travels!

Post You Might be Interested In

– Have many questions about using a digital Suica card, and whether it is a great choice to pay for public transports in your Japan trip? Have all your questions answered here n my latest post “Digital Suica Card as a Quick Easy Payment Method for Public Transport in Japan : Frequently Asked Questions and Answers”

– Interested in buying a Suica IC card, but not sure what the differences between a regular Suica card and a Welcome Suica card? Read my “Suica vs Welcome Suica Card : Which One to Choose When Visiting Japan?” post here.

– Interested in knowing more about the all-time favorite and super awesome IC cards such as Pasmo and Suica cards? Read my “Stress-Free Tokyo Travel with IC Cards : Everything You Need to Know” post here.

– Wonder what awesome tips you could get in order to hit the ground running and navigate Japan smoothly and stress-free, with or without a JR Pass ? Read my “12 Ultimate Tips for Taking Tokyo’s Public Transport With Ease” post here.

– Wonder what the JR Pass everyone talks about all the time is? More importantly, if getting a JR Pass would be a good idea and save you a lot of money on transportation costs in your trip? Get concise and practical answers here at “Japan Rail Pass : Answers to All Your Questions, and Is It Worth Buying?“

– Do you need an easy, convenient, and economical way to get from Narita International Airport to central Tokyo with luggages ? Read my “Airport Limousine Bus – The Convenient Way to Get from Narita Airport to Central Tokyo” post here. Going to Haneda airport instead? Read this post.

– Do you need a fast, easy, and economical way to get from Narita International Airport to central Tokyo ? Read my “The Narita Express (N’EX) : Fast and Easy Travel from Airport to Tokyo” post here.

And much more – Check out all of my posts here on the Main page.