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IC cards 2017/10/18 10:58
Hello, i will be travelling with my husband and 2 kids to japan next spring for 2 weeks. I will have 7 day JR pass since we are arriving and leaving from tokyo. The JR pass will be activated on the day we are travelling to kansai (day 7). We are going to use IC cards for other travel means not covered by JR pass, like the first few days in tokyo. I was thinking to ger suica over pasmo because it can be used in kansai area.

But i read somewhere that to get the refund on suica, we have to finish the money inside the card. Is that true? If i'm using pasmo, is it usable on kyoto bus, trains, and osaka trains? And where do i refund pasmo card? I understand for suica, in JR office, which will be very easy since our last stop will be hamamatsucho, before monorail to haneda.

Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!
by Selvia (guest)  

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 12:27
You were given incorrect info on the suica card. You can refund the card. There is a fee of 220 yen.
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 13:02
You should get a Pasmo because it does not have the handling fee and you can return it at Haneda.
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 15:15
Your news source seems not reliable....

As IC transportation cards,
Suica cards and PASMO cards work completely the same, everywhere in Japan.
There is no bus or rail section where only one among the two is acceptable.

You should get a Pasmo because it does not have the handling fee and you can return it at Haneda.

You cannot return a PASMO card when you, as you now plan, make a JR-to-Monorail transfer in Hamamatsucho on your way to Haneda Airport.
Tokyo Monorail is one of the three issuers of Suica brand cards.

Unnamed PASMO / Monorail Suica cards (for adult passengers) are offered at Keikyu / Tokyo Monorail ticket vending machines in Haneda Airport.

I will be travelling with my husband and 2 kids to japan next spring for 2 weeks.

How old will your kids be at that time?
Whether a kid can travel (by bus or rail) free of fees depends on his/her date of birth.

A child Suica or PASMO card is not available at a ticket vending machine;
in order to check the child applicantfs eligibility, his/her name and date of birth should be notified.
by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 15:20
You cannot return a PASMO card when you, as you now plan, make a JR-to-Monorail transfer in Hamamatsucho on your way to Haneda Airport.

This makes no sense.
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 15:56
On the supposition that you fly into Haneda Airport:

(A) When you use Keikyu first,
you can get PASMO cards in the Keikyu station,
which can be returned to any rail company of the PASMO association.
(You cannot return PASMO cards in Hamamatsucho
because there none of the two companies is a PASMO association member. )

(B) When you use Tokyo Monorail first,
you can get Monorail Suica Cards or (JR-East) Suica Cards in the Tokyo Monorail station,
which can be returned only to the issuer.
(When you choose Monorail Suica Cards, you cannot rerun them to JR-East.)

JR East Travel Service Center in Haneda Airport International Terminal
is open from 6:45 to 18:30.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center_haneda.html

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 18:04
Both JR East and Keikyu have stations at Haneda Airport. Therefor you can buy and return both Suica and Pasmo at the airport. JR East = Suica, Keikyu = Pasmo.

I think that is what Firas meant in his last response.
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 18:40
Both JR East and Keikyu have stations at Haneda Airport.

There is no JR station inside Haneda Airport.
(Tokyo Monorail is a JR-East subsidiary company, but we don't call it as JR.)

To get a (JR-East) Suica card while the Travel Service Center is closed, you have to go outside the airport.

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/18 18:45
Or you could just get a Suica card from the Monorail ticket window/counter.
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/20 14:55
Thanks all for the input.

My kids will be 2 and 6 years old. I only need to get 1 child for 6 year old one, and the 2 year old still free, as far as i know.

Yes, i will be flying in and out Haneda. And my initial plan was to just use Suica because i can refund it at Hamamatsucho station or JR office at Haneda. To get to Haneda, I will still use my JR pass for monorail.

The one thing that I'm concerned about is the refund money. I dont mind handling fee, but I was thinking to put like 5000 yen inside so i dont need to keep topping it up, and it might still have a fair amount of money by the time i'm leaving japan. I just want to make sure that i can get the money back.

A friend of mine that went to japan told me to get pasmo instead of suica, because according to her, you can only get refunded 500 yen (the deposit), only if you finish all the money inside suica. If there are still some balance inside, you cannot get refund for thr card.

Can anyone confirm whether it's true or false information?

by Selvia (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/20 22:18
You can pay in many shops with Suica/Pasmo cards. So if you see that you have too much money on it in the last days, you can just start paying random items with the card. That way you can get the card pretty empty and if you don't mind to loose a few yen at the very end, just for peace of mind that might be an alternative.

Pasmo as far as I know can be returned at Haneda airport. Suica, I don't know, but as said, you can just use up the money on it.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!
by LikeBike rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/21 02:01
Yes, you can use the IC cards to pay for things at most Kobini stores, Vending machines and more. You can also do the refund at any Pasmo / Sucia Card Stations before the day last. Alternatively....keep it as a souvenir! Plus you could always bring it back next time to use as it is valid for 10 years from the last time it was used.

Hope this helps!
by Koohii2wii rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/21 09:54
Your friend is giving you incorrect information...

https://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/use/repayment/

Official website clearly states you get refunded the balance plus 500 yen deposit.
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/21 12:42
Thank you for the replies. I think I will go ahead and buy suica. One last question though, just in case my suica card is low on balance when I'm in kansai area, can I top it up? I read that suica can only be adjusted on machine with suica mark, and usually they are on JR east area, whereas kansai is JR west.
by Selvia (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: IC cards 2017/10/21 12:49
Wrong info again. It can be topped up at any of the regular IC machines. Most look the same all across the country. Press the English button on the top right corner and follow the prompts.
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: kids and rail fees 2017/10/21 15:11
travelling with my husband and 2 kids to japan next spring for 2 weeks.
My kids will be 2 and 6 years old.

When in the next spring will you travel?

Concerning a Japan Rail Pass, kids are categorized just by the age in years; a child Pass is for any 6-year-old kid who is eligible for Japan Rail Pass.

Concerning regular rail tickets and IC transportation cards, whether child fees should apply or not is based on the Japanese elementary school year.

In a case where your older kidfs date of birth is during the one year
(a) from 2 April 2011 to 1 April 2012 /
(b) from 2 April 2012 to 1 April 2013,
the kid can travel by rail in Japan free of fees
(a) until March 2018 /
(b) until March 2019
under the following conditions.
: The kid is always accompanied by you or your husband.
: The kid does not solely use a train facility which is to be reserved.

These two conditions are also for your younger kid.
When the 2-yaer-old kid sits on the lap of you or your husband having a reserved Shinkansen seat,
the kid can travel free of rail fees.
When the 2-yaer-old kid solely has a reserved Shinkansen seat,
child-rate basic fare and Shinkansen surcharge should apply.
by omotenashi rate this post as useful

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