Leaving Japan with Money on Your IC Card? Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA Refunds Explained

2026年9月6日

Leaving Japan with Money on Your IC Card? How Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA Refunds Work

A standard physical Suica, PASMO, or ICOCA can usually be returned for its ¥500 deposit and any remaining stored value, minus a refund fee of up to ¥220. However, you must use a counter that handles the card’s issuing network. A station that accepts your card for travel cannot necessarily refund it.

There is also an important exception for visitors: Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO do not allow ordinary refunds of unused value. Spend their balance before they expire or before you leave Japan.

This guide is for tourists, students, workers, and residents who have finished using a physical IC card. The information is current as of August 22, 2026.

Quick answer

Standard Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA cards normally include a refundable ¥500 deposit.
Suica and ICOCA refunds generally deduct up to ¥220 from the stored balance. Standard PASMO refunds also carry a ¥220 fee.
Use the card issuer’s area: JR East for JR East-issued Suica, a participating PASMO operator for PASMO, and JR West’s ICOCA area for ICOCA.
Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO have no refundable deposit, and unused value is normally non-refundable.

TOC

Check the card type before going to a station

The name and issuer printed on the card determine where—and whether—you can obtain a refund. Nationwide interoperability only means that participating systems can accept the card for fares or purchases. It does not make their refund counters interchangeable.

Look at the front and back of the card for its name, logo, and issuing company.

Suica: Common in the JR East area, including Tokyo and much of eastern Japan.
PASMO: Issued by participating railway and bus operators mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
ICOCA: Issued by JR West and associated operators, mainly in western Japan.
Welcome Suica: A visitor product with no deposit and no ordinary balance refund.
TOURIST PASMO: A visitor card introduced in May 2026, valid for 28 days, with no deposit or ordinary unused-value refund.

The Japanese word for a refund is haraimodoshi (払いもどし). At a staffed counter, you can say:

IC kādo no haraimodoshi o onegai shimasu.
“I would like to return and refund this IC card.”

How much money will you receive?

For a standard card, the usual calculation is the remaining stored value minus the applicable fee, plus the ¥500 deposit. The fee does not reduce the deposit itself.

The stored balance may be shown as SF, short for “stored fare.” It is the money you charged onto the card for fares and shopping.

Suica refund examples

JR East publishes the following calculation for a standard physical Suica:

Balance of ¥1,000: ¥1,000 − ¥220 fee + ¥500 deposit = ¥1,280 returned
Balance of ¥100: the ¥100 is used as the fee, and the ¥500 deposit is returned
Balance of ¥0: no fee can be taken from the balance, so the ¥500 deposit is returned

PASMO and ICOCA use the same basic pattern

A standard PASMO refund carries a ¥220 fee. If its stored value is ¥220 or less, that balance is used for the fee, leaving the refundable deposit. PASMO does not normally allow you to refund only the stored balance while keeping the same physical card.

For ICOCA, JR West deducts up to ¥220 from the stored value and returns the ¥500 deposit. If the balance is below the fee, the remaining balance is deducted and the deposit is returned.

This creates a practical choice. If your card has a small balance, spending it before returning the card avoids losing that amount to the fee. If the balance is well above ¥220, a station refund may be more convenient than trying to spend it exactly.

ここがポイント: A ¥500 deposit and a ¥500 stored balance are different. The deposit is held for the physical card; the stored balance is money available for travel and shopping. Refund fees are normally taken from the stored balance, not from the deposit.

Where to refund each physical card

Return the card within its issuing network, preferably before traveling to another region or going through airport security. A ticket gate may accept all three brands even though the station office can refund only one of them.

Suica: use a JR East counter for a JR East-issued card

JR East says that its Suica cards can be returned only at JR East stations. Take the card to a staffed JR Ticket Office, often marked Midori-no-madoguchi (みどりの窓口), in the Suica area.

Not every card carrying the Suica system is issued by JR East. For example, a card issued by Tokyo Monorail must be handled by its issuer rather than JR East. Check the company printed on the card if the counter cannot process it.

A JR West office in Osaka or Kyoto cannot refund a Suica bought from JR East. If you are leaving Japan from Kansai after starting your trip in Tokyo, deal with the Suica before departing the JR East area—or keep it for a future trip.

PASMO: use a participating PASMO railway or bus operator

Take a standard PASMO to a PASMO-area station or bus operator counter that handles refunds. Some stations and bus offices do not provide this service, so ask before making a special trip.

For a personalized PASMO (kimei PASMO, 記名PASMO), bring official identification matching the registered user. A blank or unregistered PASMO normally does not require identity verification.

If a commuter pass is stored on the card, contact the operator that sold the pass. The commuter-pass calculation and fee can differ by operator, and refunding only the commuter-pass portion may allow you to continue using the card as a regular personalized PASMO.

ICOCA: use a JR West office in the ICOCA area

Bring a standard ICOCA to a JR Ticket Office in JR West’s ICOCA area. Some offices are excluded, so a major station with a staffed Midori-no-madoguchi is the safer choice.

JR West cannot refund a Suica merely because Suica works at JR West ticket gates. The reverse also applies: do not assume that a JR East station can refund an ICOCA.

The refund procedure at the counter

A basic physical-card refund is usually a short counter procedure, but registered cards and commuter passes require extra checks. Complete any unfinished journey before asking for the refund.

Check that you have exited the transport system. If the card still records an incomplete trip, ask station staff to correct it first.
Remove the card from other services. Retrieve luggage from any IC-card-operated locker before returning the card.
Spend a small balance if useful. Convenience stores, station shops, and vending machines displaying a compatible IC logo may accept it.
Go to the correct operator’s staffed counter. Do this in the card’s issuing area.
Show identification when required. Registered cards generally need ID matching the cardholder’s details.
Ask for haraimodoshi. Staff will calculate the stored-value refund, applicable fee, deposit, and any commuter-pass refund.
Hand over the card. A standard refund cancels the card, and the operator keeps it.
Check the amount before leaving. The transaction generally cannot simply be reversed after the card has been returned.

Allow extra time at major stations and airports. Counter hours may be shorter than train operating hours, and a service desk can be busy shortly before the last airport trains.

Visitor cards are the major exception

Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO should be treated as use-it-or-lose-it products. They differ from ordinary deposit-based cards even though they work in many of the same places.

Welcome Suica

Welcome Suica has no ¥500 deposit. JR East states that its remaining value cannot be refunded. The same non-refund rule applies to the remaining balance in Welcome Suica Mobile.

Before the card or mobile service expires, use the balance for eligible train and bus fares or at participating shops. Do not add a large amount near the end of your stay.

TOURIST PASMO

TOURIST PASMO launched in May 2026 for international visitors and is valid for 28 days from purchase. It has no deposit, and its unused value is not refundable under normal circumstances—even when the card is no longer needed.

There is a narrow process for a card that becomes unusable because it is damaged. PASMO’s rules describe a damaged-card refund using documents issued by the operator, subject to conditions and deadlines. That is not an ordinary refund for leftover money, so take the damaged card and its reference paper to a PASMO counter promptly.

Do not confuse current products with old visitor cards

Older online advice may mention PASMO PASSPORT, whose sales and handling have ended. In 2026, check the exact product name printed on your card rather than relying on an older travel article.

Commuter passes, registered cards, and mobile cards

The simple ¥500-deposit calculation does not cover every IC product. A card carrying a commuter pass, a credit-card function, or a mobile wallet needs separate handling.

Cards with a commuter pass

A commuter pass is teikiken (定期券). Its refund depends on factors such as:

the operator that sold it;
its original price and validity period;
its start date and the time already used;
the operator’s refund fee;
whether you want to cancel the whole card or only the pass.

Go to the selling operator rather than an unrelated station. Bring identification and any documents requested by that operator. A nearly expired pass may produce little or no refund after the fare calculation and fee.

Integrated credit cards

An integrated PASMO combines PASMO functions with another company’s credit card. It does not use the ordinary refundable card deposit in the same way as a standard PASMO, and canceling its PASMO function may require a separate request to the credit-card company.

Do not hand over or destroy an integrated card based on the rules for a standard plastic PASMO. Contact both the transport operator and the card issuer.

Mobile Suica, Mobile PASMO, and Mobile ICOCA

Mobile cards are not physical deposit cards, so there is no ¥500 card deposit to recover. Their refund methods, fees, account requirements, and payment routes differ from the station-counter process.

For example, Mobile PASMO’s official information says that refunding stored value on account closure may require membership and a Japanese bank account, with a separate transfer-related fee. Use the relevant app’s current instructions before deleting the card from your phone or closing an account.

Regional differences that cause problems

The most common regional mistake is confusing nationwide use with nationwide customer service. The logos on a ticket gate show where a card can be used, not where every account procedure can be completed.

Consider these common travel routes:

Tokyo to Osaka: Refund a JR East-issued Suica in the JR East area. Refund ICOCA in the JR West area.
Tokyo to an international airport: Check which railway company operates your final station and whether its counter handles your issuer’s card.
Kansai to Tokyo: Do not postpone an ICOCA refund on the assumption that any JR-branded office in Tokyo can process it.
A PASMO bought from a bus operator: A railway counter may not handle every bus-related product or commuter pass. Contact the issuing operator.

If you are unsure, show the back of the card to station staff and ask, Koko de haraimodoshi dekimasu ka?—“Can I get a refund here?”

Common mistakes to avoid

Most lost balances result from waiting too long, visiting the wrong network, or assuming a visitor card is refundable. A few checks prevent all three.

Waiting until after moving regions: Refund the card while you are still inside its issuer’s service area.
Going to an unstaffed station: Use a major station with the appropriate ticket office.
Arriving after the counter closes: Check office hours, especially before an early flight or late departure.
Forgetting ID: Bring official identification for a registered card or commuter-pass product.
Trying to keep the physical card after a full refund: Standard refunds normally require returning the card.
Expecting the balance alone to be refunded: Standard physical cards are generally canceled and collected when the stored value is refunded.
Overcharging a non-refundable visitor card: Add only what you expect to use before its expiration.
Deleting a mobile card too soon: Read the app’s refund instructions first; mobile products follow different procedures.
Forgetting an open journey or locker: Settle the trip and retrieve any stored belongings before canceling the card.

Is a refund always the best choice?

For residents or repeat visitors, keeping a standard card can be more useful than recovering the deposit. JR East says a Suica becomes invalid after ten years without use, rather than after a short absence.

Keeping the card may make sense when:

you expect to return to Japan;
the stored balance is small enough that the fee would consume it;
you will move between regions where the card remains usable;
you want to avoid obtaining another card later.

Refunding is more practical when:

you are leaving Japan permanently;
the balance is large;
you no longer need a regional commuter pass;
the card will otherwise be forgotten or lost.

The card itself may have sentimental value, but returning it is normally required to recover the ¥500 deposit. Decide which matters more before reaching the counter.

Final checklist before you leave

Identify the product first, then finish the procedure inside the correct operator’s area. Do not wait until you are already in another part of Japan.

Read the exact card name and issuer.
Confirm whether it is standard, registered, commuter-pass, integrated, visitor, or mobile.
Spend a small balance when the refund fee would absorb it.
Complete any open journey and empty any IC-card locker.
Bring matching ID for a registered product.
Visit the correct staffed counter during business hours.
For Welcome Suica or TOURIST PASMO, use the remaining value before expiration because an ordinary balance refund is unavailable.

The final watchpoint is location: a card that works at your departure station may still be impossible to refund there. Check the issuer and counter before the last leg of your journey.

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