Using suica
 

I understand that these can be used on jr rail, subways and buses in Tokyo area. I have read that they can be used for other purchases in convenience stores. How have you used suica cards? Did you use only for travel or did you also use in convenience stores?

They can be used in convenience stores like a debit card! Very efficient option for me.

Not all convenience stores, typically mostly the ones in or near a station.

If you have to load the card with cash, which AFAIK is the only way available to short term visitors, I am not sure it is any more convenient than just paying.

SUICA cards can also be used anywhere in Japan that accepts this type of card.

When I jog to the gym, I don't like to bring change.

It works at the vending machine inside my gym.

Use it at most convenient stores and in many taxis. Saves having change in your pockets.

I could see that this would be good for staying in the shinjuku area. Having a card to tap in and out of the subway makes things easier. It's an easy process to replenish?

I just used the machines at the metro to top it up.

I don't use the Metro much so I top up at a convenience store. Takes about 10 seconds.

Thank you. This technology is amazing to me. The United States are so far behind the rest of the world. It's a pain to buy a metro card in washington's metro. Credit card readers never work. Chicago its a crap shoot. Since I live in Chicago I can auto reload.

Thanks to those who updated by my post -- I have seen it in taxis but didn't know it worked outside the environs of the station.

It saves on having change and also reduces receiving change. I'm familiar with Japanese coins but tapping the IC card makes it quicker to check out and stash less small coins in my purse.

Used mine at the convenience store underneath the Hyatt Regency, and many other places.

In HK, a similar card 'Octopus' can be used for all mass public transportation; at 7-11, Circle K; major drug store chains, fast food restaurant chains, supermarket chains; school cafeteria; parking meters, AND as security pass card for private housing compounds - same card for paying subway fare and getting into your building lobby.

I have the ICOCA IC Card which I bought from Osaka.

All IC cards in Japan have been integrated. Since you have SUICA, you can use it in Osaka as well or other parts of Japan.

For such a big country, it's nice to know that just 1 card (almost) can meet your transportation needs.

There are a few exceptions: Sendai, Hiroshima, Toyama, Kagoshima and Kumamoto. Suica works on JR in [some?/most?/all?] of these places but not on the private/municipal lines.

I had a layover in NRT recently and brought my SUICA card from a previous trip to Japan to see if there was still a balance.

I stayed airside during my layover and could not find any of the vending machines or stores that would accept it. I'll be back in a couple months and leaving the airport again.

On my first trip I used it for train fare as well as buying food and beer on the train. I might have used it in a convenience store.

Suica definitely works at a few places in T1 South Wing (the UA/ANA area), such as the drugstore and the FaSoLa electronics store.

They don't have anything like this anywhere in America? I know Boston and Vancouver don't. Boston has Charlie Card, but it's only good on T unless things have changed in the last few yrs. What about NYC? What about Europe? I read that London has something like this, although I never bothered to get it on my visits there. I only really know Jpn and Hong Kong very well, and both places have it.

We have the PRESTO card in the greater Toronto Area, which is valid on trains, buses, and some subways (and I think streetcars) across the region, with more systems being added in further away areas (Niagara etc.). You can't use it in convenience stores, but there has been discussion about this. Mine is set to automatically reload from my credit card, you can also top it up by credit, debit or cash at stations, and cards online.

In London, England, the Oyster card is similar - you can use it on a variety of transport, but again, I don't think you can use it at convenience stores.

Credit card companies are deeply entrenched in American market, and it seems like Visa PayWave/Master PayPass-based systems are in the works for public transportation payment systems.

For example, Chicago Transit Authority replaced their contactless Chicago Card with Ventra Card. Ventra cards may optionally work as a prepaid debit card; they can be used as credit card in stores.

NYC MTA is also in the process of replacing their magnetic MetroCards, and looks like they will go with the same system. The implementer for both systems are the same company: Cubic Transportation.

True but a lot of places are starting to accept the wireless payment that is pretty common in many new credit and debit cards. Think it is limited to £20 per transaction at the moment but I use it pretty much all the time.

We have contactless payment, up to $100 here in Canada - it is pretty much everywhere now, makes my life much easier, to the point I feel put out if I actually have to enter my PIN!

On Narita Express, cart vending will be gone soon.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...st-trains.html

On trains which accept IC card payment, you can request a receipt.
Handy printer picture ->
https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2007_2/20080301.pdf

I'd never heard of Ventra card, but that's interesting to hear because that does seem a little bit like Octopus/Suica/Pasmo if it can be used for both public transport and retail.

List of "smart cards":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smart_cards

I live in SEA, and I've never even heard of Orca Card. I bet most of these cards aren't even really widespread and most are for trains/buses only.

T-money in Seoul can also be used on public transportation and convenience stores.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-money

There are a few transportation systems which accept EMV contactless credit cards. I think London Transport is one of them?

However, you can't use these cards for cross regional travel, e.g. Shizuoka to Tokyo.

The main difference between Oyster and Suica (and other Japanese IC cards) is the former offers substantially discounted fares while the latter is simply for convenience (with the exception of a few yens rounded up to the nearest 10 yen on conventional tickets but not charged if using IC cards).

What is the minimum amount konbini will let you add to Suica? Do the lopi machines let you add value too?

Well, I suppose you could describe it like that. From my perspective, Oyster is just enabling you to avoid the obscene gouging that you'll be subjected to if you buy a paper ticket. And, in fact, it's the ONLY currency that you can use on a London bus now. (Cash fares for buses have been eliminated).

Suica is so amazing I've opted to get a Suica credit card. :p
It auto charges at the gates when the balance falls below a preset limit.

It may depend on the particular chain, but as a point of reference, Family Mart lets you charge any of the following 4 possible amounts: ¥1000, ¥3000, ¥5000 or ¥10000.

There are quite a few train lines throughout Japan, including JR, where IC cards are still unsupported. For example, in the greater Tokyo area, Suica and other IC cards are unsupported on the Kururi line (Chiba), the Kashima line (Chiba/Ibaraki), the Karasuyama line (Tochigi) as well as a few other stations on otherwise supported lines. For the most part, this is unlikely to incovenience tourists, but there are a few exceptions (a place like Takeo onsen in Saga has some popularity among Korean tourists, say).

Using suica
 

Fuji-Q express also doesn't take suica at Otsuki. You have to pay in cash for tickets.

OP, IC cards are worth it. In Tokyo, you have the option of either PASMO or SUICA. For a visitor, there would be no difference, besides the issuer (PASMO is Tokyo Metro and SUICA is JR East). Both are valid across many railway companies and useful for vending machines and conbini purchases

This alone makes it worth it. As a tourist, I find my pocket fills up with change at an annoying rate, and Suica helps keep this under control. Since it's a given I'll have one anyway for transport, it's a no-brainer to also use it for purchases where supported.

Suica cards do have a cute penguin on them, if that sways you at all :D

And if the penguin doesn't swing it: SUICA means watermelon.

ICOCA is way more clever a name. Leave it up to Kansai to come up with that one :D

Whenever I see that word my brain auto-corrects it to Iacocca...

In Japan, how can you tell if a particular establishment accepts the Suica card? Is there a symbol by the register or do you just need to ask?

Also, does 7-11, Family Mart, and Lawson's take U.S. credit cards?

Yes, you'll see the following mark on or near each register:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/suica/use/sh...x/image_01.gif

The reader itself will look something like this:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/suica/use/sh...x/image_05.jpg

Though there are sometimes multiple terminals for the various kinds of IC payment systems, when you ask to use Suica, the correct terminal will light up.

Thanks for the helpful pictures!

If you have an Android phone with NFC capability, do check out this Suica reader app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...careader&hl=en