Suica
Suica (Japanese pronunciation: スイカ, Suika) is a prepaid rechargeable contactless smart card and electronic money system used as a fare card on train lines and other public transport systems in Japan, launched on November 18, 2001 by JR East. The card can be used across the nation as part of Japan's Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.[3][4] The card is also widely used as electronic money for purchases at stores and kiosks, especially at convenience stores and within train stations. In 2018, JR East reported that Suica was used for 6.6 million daily transactions.[5] As of October 2023, 95.64 million Suica (including Mobile Suica) have been issued, and 1.63 million stores accept payment via Suica's digital currency.[6]
This article is about the contactless smart card used in Japan. For other uses, see Suica (disambiguation).Location
Usable nationwide
Distributed in the Kantō region, Sendai area, Niigata area, Morioka area, Akita area, and Aomori area
April 8 – July 8, 2001: Piloted at 57 stations
November 18, 2001: Official launch at 424 stations
Japanese yen (¥20,000 maximum load)
Pay as you go
Ten years after last use[1]
- JR East stations
- JR EAST Travel Service Centers
- Suica
- Welcome Suica
- Rinkai Suica
- Monorail Suica
- Suica Light[2]
- Multi-function Cards for Regional Transit
Since Suica is completely interchangeable with PASMO (see Interoperation), it is supported on virtually any train, tramway, or bus system in Tokyo and the Greater Tokyo Area (excluding various limited and shinkansen trains, as well as some local buses).
Etymology[edit]
Suica stands for "Super Urban Intelligent CArd". In the logo, the letters "ic" are highlighted, which stand for integrated circuit and see use in the term "IC card", the common Japanese word for smart card. An additional meaning comes from the ideophone "sui sui" which means "to move smoothly and swiftly", intended to highlight the simplicity of using the card compared with traditional train tickets.[7] Since penguins can also swim smoothly through water, a penguin is used as a motif.[8] The Suica penguin mascot was designed by illustrator Chiharu Sakazaki.[9]
While Suica's primary usage is as a fare card for public transportation, it can also be used as electronic money for general purchases. With the exception of archaic, first-generation cards printed before 2004, all Suica have the 
logo, which indicates that the card can be used for e-money payments.[10]
Other components that may also appear alongside the e-money mark include:
Chain stores such as FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, Lawson, Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, Dotour Coffee, CoCo Ichibanya, and MOS Burger support transactions with Suica.[19] Many shops at Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport, and taxis also accept Suica payment.[20] Stores that accept IC card payment are indicated by displaying the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service "IC" logo, typically alongside the various card logos.[19] Most vending machines, kiosks, and coin-operated lockers within JR stations can also be paid with the card; the card may also be used as an electronic key to open the specific locker used.[20][21]
As of 2004, JR East employees use the card as an employee ID card.[22]
Points of purchase[edit]
Suica are available at ticket vending machines or customer service windows in the Suica area, namely at all JR East train stations. A new card costs 2,000 yen, which includes a 500 yen deposit that will be refunded if the card is returned. The remaining 1,500 yen is immediately available for rides on transport, and more money can be charged on to the card (in 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, and 10,000 yen increments), up to a card maximum of 20,000 yen. Cards may also be charged at at fare adjustment machines within any station's ticket gates, i.e. inside the fare-paid zone.
On June 8, 2023, railway operators including JR East announced a temporary suspension of sales of unregistered cards, which do not display the customer's name, due to the 2020–2023 global chip shortage.[25] In August 2023, sales of registered cards displaying the customer's name (My Suica) were also suspended, and customers were encouraged to use Mobile Suica instead.[26][27] As of March 2024, sales of the card remain officially suspended "for the time being",[28] but since January 2024 have been available in limited quantities to foreign tourists at customer service centers.[29][30]
Card stacking[edit]
Ticket gates return an error when the scan encounters more than one compatible card. Although it is intended that each person have only one Suica, many people have more than one, or may carry other IC cards as well. Consequently, JR East began an awareness campaign in March 2007 to discourage commuters from storing multiple cards together. Incompatible cards, such as Edy, seem to have an inconsistent effect on a machine's ability to read the card which may depend on the reading device. On the other hand, the Express-IC (EX-IC) card for Tokaido Shinkansen reservations is meant to be used in this manner (stacked on top of an IC card to facilitate transfer between Shinkansen and regular lines).
Technology[edit]
The card incorporates a contactless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology developed by Sony called FeliCa.[34] The same technology is also deployed in the Edy electronic cash cards used in Japan, the Octopus card in Hong Kong, and the EZ-Link Card in Singapore.