Commuter pass for metro and JR on one card?

Hello,

I am about to renew my commuter pass for the next 6 months, but I would like to check that I got the correct information when I asked the staff around 6 months ago and also that the situation has not changed.

At the moment I have to change from the metro to JR at the JR Osaka station. I was told at that time that I cannot have only one commuter pass, but must have 2 separate cards (one for the metro and one for JR). I know from the time I was still living in Tokyo, that generally it should be possible to have only one card, since I was traveling at that time also with the metro and JR and also my co-workers were surprised that I have 2 cards, although I explained them that I extra asked the staff. but was told that it is not possible.

I think the issue this time and the reason why it cannot be done is properly the fact that the metro station I arrive at is Umeda and then the JR leaves from Osaka. So although these 2 stations are next to each other, probably it does not count as the same and therefore I need 2 commuter passes.

Can someone please confirm that it is really not possible, as it is quite annoying to have 2 cards and I always need to be careful to use the correct one.

JR Osaka and Metro Umeda are different stations. You can have a single card only when you transfer at the same station, not when you move to another one.

Ask a different staff member?
There is some information on the web and I read an interesting article on "docchimo" or dual destination passes, but my understanding is that the route is printed on the face of the card and as there is a change of station at Osaka (that you mention) to Umeda then maybe that is the reason why. In Tokyo perhaps you were changing at the same station between JR and metro.
As far as I can see based on other advice (like https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+134066) you can load one specified route on your card.
If you can use a single card and someone knows better, then that's fine. I did see in an old forum that pasmo/suica had differences in different cities and that more recently there are improvements coming. (super suica April 2021??).

their answer is correct.
you can't get get a commuter pass which joints Osaka metro (subway) and JR.
you can get a joint pass between Osaka metro and other private railways (Hankyu, Hanshin, Kintetsu, Nankai, etc.)

http://osaka-subway.com/post-16942/

Sorry I hadn't read the question in full.

I think the issue this time and the reason why it cannot be done is properly the fact that the metro station I arrive at is Umeda and then the JR leaves from Osaka. So although these 2 stations are next to each other, probably it does not count as the same and therefore I need 2 commuter passes.

Exactly. Basically, if the two stations have the same name, it counts as a transfer and you can have a single commuter pass. If they don't, it doesn't and you can't. This is not specific to Osaka, for example in Sendai you can't have a single commuter pass if you "transfer" between JR Aobadori and Subway Sendai (if you want a single pass, you must transfer at JR Sendai, which is a longer walk).