Suica and Pasmo for the Tokyo area public transportation

[JerseyBoy]

I am confused on where I can use a Suica card (sold mainly by JR Eastern Japan). There is a competing card called Pasmo (which is sold mainly by non-JR trains). I have a Suica card and I am wondering if I can use it for other non-JR lines such as Odakyu, Keiko, and Tokyu lines. The website says Suica and Pasmo cards are used interchangeably at any station as long as one of the cards is sold there.

 

[Ewok85]

Suica and Pasmo are in esssence the exact same thing - anywhere you can use Suica, you can use passmo.

(Edit - I do it like this - if it has a panel for an IC card, I use my suica. If there is none, I buy a ticket)

 

[Housetek]

My suica card does not work in Tokyo Metro lines even tho there is a spot for IC card.

Suica card only works on JR lines from my experience.

example. I take the Jr from my House @Shinigawa station to get to Roppongi.
Shinigawa Jr to Ebisu * my suica card works*
Ebisu Transfer to Hibiya Line to go to Roppongi Suica does not work gota get a ticket or another type of card. There is a i.c card spot tho that doesnt work with my suica

 

[sanji]

I use almost daily Suica Card to travel on subways and trains outside Tokyo, without any problem...

I would suggest you check your Suica at a JR counter, it might have a problem...

sanji

 

[nice gaijin]

I've got a pasmo and it works for everything. Suica should be no different.

 

[undrentide]

I use Suica everyday on Tokyo Metro and other private line, and it works just fine.

 

[Ewok85]

Suica and Pasmo are exactly the same - anywhere you can use one, you can use the other 100% guaranteed.

Make sure you have your card "charged" up, or else it'll act funny. Ask the staff if it doesn't work, they'll fix whatever is wrong.

 

[JerseyBoy]

I used my Suica card today for Keio Line from Shinjuku. It worked. My employer pays for my commuting expenses. About a month ago, being a novice in TYO, I ended up buying a Suica (for JR) and the monthly pass for Tokyu Line. I should have paid for both JR and Tokyu to get just one card, Suica. So some reasons, I don't recall I saw an option on the Suica machine to let me choose other lines for the origin and destination stations when I purchased the monthly pass. I find it is convenient that a Suica card can be used as both a monthly pass and regular prepaid card.

 

[Ewok85]

I don't think the machines have been re-coded to allow passes with other companies - thats not very straight-forward as just using it as you go. Next time talk to the staff, but I think you still need to use 2 passes. Using suica and a normal pass would be easy enough to do and they can live in the same card holder and not cause issues to each other.

 

[Dogen Z]

I don't think the machines have been re-coded to allow passes with other companies - thats not very straight-forward as just using it as you go. Next time talk to the staff, but I think you still need to use 2 passes. Using suica and a normal pass would be easy enough to do and they can live in the same card holder and not cause issues to each other.

If you use a teikiken for a Metro line, you can convert it to a Pasmo card simply by buying a Pamo card and inserting your teikiken during the sign up procedure. The card can then be used as a regular Pasmo card to get around both Metro Lines and JR lines.

P.S. I thought Suica (ie. JR East) was GREEDY & short sighted for not allowing mobile phone use for their Suica card unless you signed up for their View Credit Card. Now that PASMO has surpassed Suica, JR East is allowing mobile phone SUICA use without the View Credit Card.

 

[Ewok85]

The credit card thing wasn't that greedy, as it is you can use any credit card you want now.

I think you might be able to even use a normal suica and "attach" any credit card to make it automatic. I might be wrong.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

I can't answer specifically but I know that just before I left town the new Pasmo Odakyu card was introduced and it had options for both regular 'teiki' funciton and the addition of moneys onto the card for travel outside of the range of your teiki. Perhaps adding cash to your Suica card will allow it to be used on non-JR lines, much like having to fare adjust?

 

[nice gaijin]

My friend has a teiki-suica/pasmo, and travels anywhere he wants on it. Any travelling done between stations on his teiki route are not charged against the card's balance. This is all done automatically as well, so there is no special process involved or extra swiping necessary.

If you have no money on your suica, it's useless. If you have no money on your teiki-suica, it's nothing more than a teiki.