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Finally! General sales of Japan’s ultra convenient Sucia, Pasmo prepaid train cards resume next month

Casey Baseel Aug 21, 2024
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The two easiest ways to pay for train tickets, and a whole bunch of other stuff, make their long-awaited return.

For the last year, Japan’s famously convenient public transportation system has been a little less convenient. See, part of that convenience comes from how easy it is to pay for train and subway fares. If you’ve got a prepaid IC chip-equipped card, just tap it on the receptor on the ticket gate, tap it again at the station at the end of your journey as you leave, and the cost of your ride is automatically deducted from the balance you have charged on the card. When you run out of funds, just insert the card into a terminal (either inside the station gates or outside them) and recharge it, using either cash or a credit card. As an added convenience, you can even use the cards to pay for things like food and drinks from vending machines and platform snack kiosks, and even outside the train and subway network, and wide variety of Japanese businesses, including convenience stores, restaurants, and retail shops all allow Suica/Pasmo payment as a speedy and simple alternative to counting out coins (especially since Japan’s smallest paper money is the 1,000-yen (US$6.75) bill.

Unfortunately, for more than a year now, sales have been suspended for the two most widely used IC cards in the Tokyo area, Suica (issued by JR East) and Pasmo. Due to the global semiconductor shortage, since last August the only way to get a Suica or Pasmo card has been to purchase one of the more expensive commuter pass-versions (which provided unlimited rides between two stations, generally at a cost of around 15 round trips) or to get a special short-term for-foreign-tourists-only Suica, which could only be purchased at international airports or a few select major train stations in Tokyo.

However, earlier this year JR East and Pasmo Co., Ltd. announced that they were getting ready to bring back regular sales of non-commuter cards at all stations, and now we’ve finally got a date for their long-awaited return: September 1.

This still doesn’t bring Suica and Pasmo availability quite back up to where it was before their sales suspensions. Starting September 1, you’ll once again be able to purchase non-commuter pass Suica and Pasmo cards, but you’ll have to register your name when purchasing one, as there’s still no timetable for recommencing sales of non-registered cards. However, registering your name is a quick process (you simply key in your name at the terminal where you’re buying the card), and it comes with an added layer or protection, as should you lose your registered card while you’re out and about, you can cancel your old card, rendering it unusable by anyone who picks it up, and transfer the remaining balance to a new card.

Source: NHK News Web
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