Which transit card
Feb 22, 2024 | 3:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
Programs: DL(PM), UA(Silver), AA(EXP) Marriott(Ti), HH(Gold), Hertz(PC)
Posts: 2,927
Which transit card
Are there any practical differences between ICOCA, PASMO and Suica cards for someone visiting Tokyo and Kyoto (about 3-4 days at each city)?
My daughter and I will be visiting in mid-May so we've been researching this. Looks like we can just add any of those cards to the wallets on our iPhones while we're in the US and hit the ground running when we get there. But which card to get?
My daughter and I will be visiting in mid-May so we've been researching this. Looks like we can just add any of those cards to the wallets on our iPhones while we're in the US and hit the ground running when we get there. But which card to get?
Feb 22, 2024 | 10:10 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 194
There are no practical differenes between the three transit cards if you are going to be using them for just transit fare and retail/shop payments for tourists, any of them will do as they are interchangeable as far as these payments go.
Just be aware that you should test out which of your US credit cards can charge/re-charge the transit cards on iPhone via Apple Pay. Amex ones definitely work, VISA/Mastercard ones most likely are not.
Just be aware that you should test out which of your US credit cards can charge/re-charge the transit cards on iPhone via Apple Pay. Amex ones definitely work, VISA/Mastercard ones most likely are not.
Feb 23, 2024 | 2:39 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: HNL
Posts: 1,165
Just be aware that you should test out which of your US credit cards can charge/re-charge the transit cards on iPhone via Apple Pay. Amex ones definitely work, VISA/Mastercard ones most likely are not.
Feb 24, 2024 | 10:17 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 19,069
Feb 24, 2024 | 10:39 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: AA, UA, Marriott
Posts: 2,413
Feb 27, 2024 | 11:40 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,081
There are no practical differenes between the three transit cards if you are going to be using them for just transit fare and retail/shop payments for tourists, any of them will do as they are interchangeable as far as these payments go.
Just be aware that you should test out which of your US credit cards can charge/re-charge the transit cards on iPhone via Apple Pay. Amex ones definitely work, VISA/Mastercard ones most likely are not.
Just be aware that you should test out which of your US credit cards can charge/re-charge the transit cards on iPhone via Apple Pay. Amex ones definitely work, VISA/Mastercard ones most likely are not.
Card is a US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa:
Last edited by seigex; Feb 27, 2024 at 11:48 pm
Feb 28, 2024 | 2:04 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 2,153
Yes, SUICA has (mostly) sorted out the VISA-induced issues (requires iOS 17.2). PASMO and others have not yet updated their backend to reflect the fix, unfortunately. Only really matters for those looking to maximize their points/cashback - SUICA stopped coding as travel for CHASE years ago, so I switched to PASMO at that point so that I could continue to get 3x on my CSR. Unfortunately unless/until PASMO gets their act together on the visa fix I'm stuck with 2% via Apple Card.