Suica or Passmo

I'm goin to tokyo for holiday. is it worth buying a suica or passmo card? which one is better? please help.
thanks

Chloe,

The Suica/Pasmo cards don't save you any money (and actually cost you a 500 yen deposit), but they are very convenient, as you don't need to worry about checking train fares and buying tickets every time. The cards are entirely interchangeable, so there is no difference, but you might want to look up details of the Suica + Narita Express package offered by JR East on their website, as this saves you money if you are travelling on the Narita Express.

thanks for your information. i just looked at the jr website and the nex package they offer (suica and narita express offer for 3500 yen)
they have a unique suica card design for overseas visitor. however i'd like to have the original design. is it possible to change the card to the original one? ^^

Is it possible to buy the SUICA+Narita package at tokyo station or is it only available at the airport? I'll be in tokyo for 2 days and need to take the narita express to get to the airport.

Wendy wrote:

Is it possible to buy the SUICA+Narita package at tokyo station or is it only available at the airport?

It's only available from Narita Airport, and cannot be used for the return journey to the airport.

See
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

Chloe, I don't know if you have seen the usual Suica card, but there is nothing at all special about it- a silver card with a block of green and a small penguin logo. Nothing really to go out of your way to get at all.

if you're just touring japan I would recommend the JR pass instead. I'm guessing you'll be traveling a lot and you won't have to constantly put in money in your card... just show the train station worker your pass and you're through (that is if it's the JR company you're using).

However, for the JR pass that works in all of Japan has a seven day minimum.
the JR East pass (works in tokyo, kanagawa, and tohoku) has a flexible 4-day minimum.
the West Kansai pass has a minimum of 1 day that costs 2,000 yen.

all the info is here if you're interested.
http://www.japanrail.com/JR_regionalrailpass.html

if you use it enough, you could save money. but it won't do you any good on metro and local lines. It WILL save money if you want to ride the shinkansen (bullet train).

SUICA+Narita package

after i book the train tix from narita to tokyo. The balance 2000 yen can be used on other days ??

The website not very clear.

thanks

I just got back from Tokyo a few weeks ago and also used the Suica+Nex. Having the Suica was really convenient for me, no need to buy tickets every single time...

When you arrive at Narita Airport, you can to the ticket office and buy a Suica card + NEX ticket.

You use the NEX ticket for the train trip from Narita to Tokyo and you can start using the Suica card after that. Whenever you pass the gates, you can always see how much your balance is. When your balance is around 300 yen, I suggest loading up.

This is easy to do as well: you go to a ticketing machine and put your suica card in the slot, press load and put 1000 yen or how much you want to load.

Hoon,

The balance 2000 yen can be used on other days ??
The website not very clear.

I agree that it is not entirely clear. My understanding is that you have an initial balance of 1,500 yen on the card. The 500 yen deposit is only returned if you return the card.

We will be staying in Shinjuku? Having 4d 3n free & easy in Tokyo. Pls advice which ticket should we purchase.

If you stay in Tokyo "free and easy" then there is no way a JR East pass will pay for itself, you will most likely spend less than 1000 yen a day on train fares. I recommend the Suica.

I'd also get the Suica card. Traveling around Tokyo isn't too difficult, but it's a lot easier if you just have the card, so you don't have to worry about exact fares. Also, I agree with the above poster, the train/subway fares add up pretty fast, so the card is handy. I don't know about Pasmo, but I do know that some convenience stores will accept your Suica card; that might be a helpful feature too.

Can I use the remaining value of the SUICA and NEX card on next day besides the day of arrival ? 1500 yen is quite alot since I only arrive at 3pm , will not be using so much in a day .Kindly enlighten me .

Bob wrote:

I don't know about Pasmo, but I do know that some convenience stores will accept your Suica card; that might be a helpful feature too.

Suica and Pasmo are entirely interchangeable, so either can be used regardless of whether the touch pad in the shop says Suica or Pasmo.

Hoon wrote:

Can I use the remaining value of the SUICA and NEX card on next day besides the day of arrival ? 1500 yen is quite alot since I only arrive at 3pm, will not be using so much in a day.

The credit on your Suica card lasts for ever, so you can you can even use it next time you visit Japan.

Thanks Dave for clarifying the matter for me !