PASMO: Buying, Commuting and Nationwide Use

PASMO is a transit IC card sold at station ticket machines and counters. You add money in advance, then tap the same card when entering and leaving train stations. If you have Suica or ICOCA, you can use that card on participating interoperable routes.

During your trip: cash to prepare / balance / top-ups / insufficient balance / departure

With children, check ages and how many cards you need before buying.

Buy a regular PASMO and take your first train

In Tokyo Metro’s ¥2,000 purchase example, ¥1,500 is available for fares and ¥500 is the deposit. The deposit comes back when you return the card. Sellers vary by railway company, but you do not need separate cards for JR and the subway.

Prepare cash for the IC fares from the airport to your accommodation + your first day’s city journeys + the ¥500 deposit. Regular-card top-ups also use cash. You do not need to load enough for the whole trip at once.

1. Find a Keikyu or Keisei ticket machine at the airport

In central Tokyo, Tokyo Metro stations sell PASMO. Look for PASMO on the machine’s screen.

Check the train name too. Keikyu Airport Kaitoku trains accept IC cards without a special surcharge, and ordinary Keisei Kaitoku and Limited Express trains require only the fare. The Skyliner requires a liner ticket in addition to the base-fare ticket. See airport transport to Tokyo for trains and transfers.

2. Choose an amount and buy with cash

At a Keisei machine at Narita, follow these four steps. Compare the buttons with Keisei’s illustrated “How to Purchase the PASMO Prepaid Card” guide.

1. Select PASMO on the left of the screen, then PASMO in the centre.
2. Choose unregistered to start without registering. For loss replacement, choose a registered PASMO and enter your details.
3. Choose a purchase amount and insert Japanese yen in cash.
4. Collect the card and change, then check the balance.

Button names and positions vary by railway company and machine. PASMO’s official purchase-screen examples are another reference. If you cannot find a selling machine, tell staff 「通常のPASMOを買いたいです」— Tsūjō no PASMO o kaitai desu (“I’d like to buy a regular PASMO”).

3. Check at a ticket machine if you do not know the balance

If the purchase screen or another display has shown enough balance for your next fare, go to the gate. Display the detailed history only when needed.

The money on your card appears as “SF残額” on the balance/history screen. For PASMO’s official example:

1. Select 「チャージ・残額履歴」— charge / balance history.
2. Insert PASMO into the IC card slot.
3. Select 「履歴表示」— display history — and read the latest SF balance. To keep a paper record, select 「履歴印字」— print history.

See the button positions in PASMO’s illustrated history-check guide.

Names and order vary by machine. Some screens combine balance display and printing on one button. Remember to collect your card. If the balance is less than your next IC fare, top up. For example, with ¥1,500 loaded, a ¥178 Tokyo Metro journey from Asakusa to Ueno needs no top-up and leaves ¥1,322 after exit.

4. Add cash if needed

Insert a regular card into a compatible station ticket or charge machine, select Charge and an amount, then insert cash. The maximum balance is ¥20,000; available amounts vary by operator. For a shortfall at exit, use the fare-adjustment steps below.

5. Tap the same card to enter and exit

At the centre and right-hand gates in the photo, the blue area immediately above the yellow paper-ticket slot is the IC reader. Tap the card there. Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

For trains, hold the card flat against the gate’s IC-marked reader. A successful read makes a sound; check the displayed message too. Use the same card to enter and exit. Several people cannot use one card at the same time.

If the gate stays closed, read the display and settle an insufficient balance if needed. See navigating Tokyo stations for gates and transfer routes.

If the balance is too low at the exit

If the machine or error message is unfamiliar, show PASMO to staff beside the gate. To add the shortfall yourself, follow the fare-adjustment machine instructions.

A fare-adjustment machine lets you pay a fare shortfall. PASMO can be topped up or settled at these machines and other supported points when the exit balance is insufficient. For example, at Tokyu machines inside the gates:

1. Place the card on the tray and select the button showing the amount needed to cover the shortfall.
2. Insert the displayed shortfall in cash.
3. Leave the card still until charging finishes, then collect it.

Tap the same PASMO used to enter. Operations and increments vary: Keikyu allows shortfall charges in ¥10 increments at an adjustment machine or staffed gate. Ask gate staff if you cannot find or use the machine.

You are ready for the train. Check that you have your card, extra cash and route. For the Skyliner, have the liner ticket too. Read the family, phone or departure sections below as needed.

Children’s cards and how many your family needs

Apply for a child PASMO at a station or bus counter with proof of the child’s age, such as a passport. A child who already has a child PASMO or child My Suica cannot buy another. It is valid until March 31 of the Japanese fiscal year in which the child turns 12, and needs conversion to an adult card from April 1.

At Haneda, show the child’s passport to Keikyu station staff; at Narita, ask Keisei staff which counter handles child cards. If you cannot buy one, use a child paper ticket for that journey.

On Tokyo Metro, up to two accompanying young children travel free per adult or child-fare passenger. For two adults with children aged eight and five on an ordinary journey, two adult cards and one child card can be used; the accompanying five-year-old meets the free-travel conditions. A six-year-old not yet in elementary school is in the younger category; an elementary-school pupil under 13 pays the child fare. Other operators’ buses and paid seating have different conditions, so check the relevant service.

If this family buys three cards at ¥2,000 each from Tokyo Metro, prepare ¥6,000 cash. Total deposits are ¥1,500 and each card has ¥1,500 of balance.

Use PASMO on your phone

Check device and payment support before departure, but create and top up the card after arriving in Japan. Apple Pay PASMO and Android Mobile PASMO are for ages 13 and over and do not support child cards. Prepare a physical child card if needed.

Start with Wallet on iPhone

Check the supported device and OS and set the device region to Japan. In Wallet, tap Add, select a transit card and PASMO, then choose at least ¥1,000 and a payment method. Some payment cards, including some issued outside Japan, may not work; a brand such as Visa alone does not establish compatibility.

If transferring a physical card, remember that the original card stops working after the transfer.

Check the model first on Android

Find the model name in your phone settings and compare it with the Mobile PASMO supported-device list. NFC alone is not enough: Osaifu-Keitai support is also required. For a supported phone, follow new-card creation in the Mobile PASMO app.

Before tapping your phone at the gate

On iPhone, set PASMO as the express card to hold the top of the device to the reader without unlocking or opening Wallet. Android does not need the app open, but power and Osaifu-Keitai must be enabled; use your model’s reader position. The same guidance explains settings that disable NFC while the screen is locked.

Buying a new commuter pass on iPhone requires the PASMO app and membership registration. On Android, follow the app purchase instructions. Balance refunds require membership, identity verification and a Japanese bank account, among other conditions; this does not mean a bank account is required to create the card.

TOURIST PASMO lasts 28 days

Where to buy at Haneda and Narita

TOURIST PASMO is a visitor card with a usable balance equal to the purchase price. Unlike a regular card, it has no deposit.

These are the officially listed sales locations and counter hours.

Designated Haneda sales points accept credit cards for purchase. At Narita, having ¥2,000 cash and your passport ready also gives you the option of switching to a regular card. Official pages do not specify Narita TOURIST payment methods. Regular cards and ordinary tickets can be bought with yen cash, so bring cash to avoid relying on card payment.

Avoid unused balances and late-arrival problems

Validity runs 28 days from purchase, not the first ride. Carry the Reference Paper showing expiry and other details when using the card. Ordinary unused balances are not refundable; add small amounts to match your plans. A child card expires by March 31 of the fiscal year in which the child turns 12, even within 28 days.

On departure day, leave enough for the airport fare before spending extra balance at participating shops. Ask before payment whether cash can be combined with it.

If TOURIST sales points are closed at night, buy a ticket to your accommodation and get PASMO the next day or later. Do not assume dedicated machines operate 24 hours; check the last train to your destination.

Separate from the information centres, Narita’s Skyliner counters sell Keisei train tickets 7:00–23:30. These are counter hours, not train operating hours.

The old PASMO PASSPORT has been discontinued; it is a different product from today’s TOURIST PASMO.

Buses, shops and top-ups away from stations

Toei buses and shop checkouts

For Toei buses in Tokyo’s 23 wards:

1. Check the destination and board through the front door.
2. Tap the fare machine’s IC reader when boarding. Listen for the beep and check the balance display.
3. Press the stop button when your stop is announced and exit through the rear door.

Systems differ by region. Tap on boarding and exit on Toei buses in Tama, but on exit on Kyoto city flat-fare buses. Follow the vehicle’s signs rather than treating the Tokyo 23-ward procedure as nationwide.

In shops, check the acceptance mark, say 「PASMOで」— PASMO de (“By PASMO”) — check the amount and tap. Some shops restrict certain products or combining the balance with cash.

Top up at convenience stores or Seven Bank ATMs

At a shop, say 「PASMOに2,000円チャージしてください」— PASMO ni nisen-en chāji shite kudasai (“Please add ¥2,000 to my PASMO”), then pay the requested amount in cash and tap the reader. Follow staff instructions for any screen actions and check the final balance. Mobile PASMO can also be topped up with cash at compatible machines and stores.

For a top-up without a conversation, Seven Bank ATMs accept PASMO. Choose Charge, select electronic money, put the card on the reader, choose an amount and insert banknotes. Amounts are in ¥1,000 cash increments. Leave the card in place until completion.

Top-ups have no fee. This is separate from cash-withdrawal fees: choose the charge operation. Use the Seven Bank ATM locator to find a machine.

Even if bought with a credit card, a TOURIST card’s station top-ups use cash.

PASMO also works in Osaka and Kyoto

Participating interoperable areas across Japan

Not only regular PASMO but also TOURIST PASMO works in participating areas nationwide. Examples include Osaka Metro subway and bus services and Kyoto city buses and municipal subways.

It does not cover every route in Japan. Some services, including Osaka’s on-demand buses, are excluded. Look for PASMO or nationwide interoperability marks in local route information. For shopping, PiTaPa is excluded from nationwide electronic-money interoperability, so check store marks even where PASMO works on transport.

You cannot ride from Tokyo to Kansai on the balance alone

Journeys crossing separate IC areas, such as entering in Tokyo and exiting in Osaka, cannot be settled from the stored balance.

Arrange the relevant reservation and ticket separately for long-distance travel such as the Shinkansen. For example, Smart EX charges your credit card on booking rather than deducting the fare from the registered IC card’s balance. Once in Osaka or Kyoto, use the same PASMO on participating local transport.

Refunds before departure and old PASMO cards

Return a regular card at a PASMO-area service counter, bringing ID for a registered card. If using it to reach the airport, finish your last journey and exit the gates before visiting the counter.

If an airport refund does not fit your plans, return it on your last day of use in Tokyo or keep it for your next trip. Suica operators such as JR East cannot refund PASMO. If departing from Kansai, return it while still in Tokyo if you want a refund.

Returning it at Nippori: location and hours

One option is the Nippori-Toneri Liner Nippori Station commuter pass office, open 11:00–20:00 every day. It accepts regular PASMO cards without a commuter pass.

1. Finish the day’s journey and exit the gates.
2. Bring PASMO to the office and request a refund, showing ID for a registered card. Passports and residence cards are examples.
3. Return the card and receive the money, then buy an ordinary ticket for further travel. Also set aside a separate fare if going to the airport the next day.

Consider the time and fare of getting to Nippori: a detour solely for the deposit may not suit your plans. For airport returns, confirm the handling counter and hours first with Keikyu at Haneda or Keisei at Narita Airport Station or Airport Terminal 2 Station. TOURIST sales hours are not the same as regular-card refund hours.

How much comes back, and when a kept card expires

For a regular card without a commuter pass, the refund is the balance minus up to ¥220, plus the ¥500 deposit. Compare the two card types with the same balance at departure:

The returned ¥500 is money you deposited, not a ¥500 saving over TOURIST. Commuter-pass refunds go through the selling operator, with operator-specific fees.

Even after using all the balance, you must return a regular card to recover the ¥500 deposit. Keep it instead if planning another trip. It expires after 10 years without replacement, use or a top-up, counted from the day after the last such transaction; the purchase date alone is not enough to judge.

A mobile balance refund is not cash at a station: conditions include a Japanese bank account for the transfer. Refunding only the stored balance, called SF, incurs up to ¥210 in fees. For Apple Pay PASMO, payment normally takes two to four weeks after the procedure is completed. Do not count on it for departure-day cash.

Compare PASMO fares with travel passes

Welcome Suica is another visitor option. See buying and using Suica for purchase and setup.

A Tokyo Metro 24-hour ticket costs ¥700. These examples cover one adult on Metro only, excluding JR and airport travel.

For your itinerary, total the Tokyo Metro IC fares within 24 hours and compare them with the ¥700 pass. Add non-covered fares, such as JR and airport journeys, separately.

Use the pass itself at gates for covered journeys. Choose the ticket before entering so you do not tap a separate PASMO and pay again. See transport pass prices, coverage and purchase steps.

Choose commuter passes by route for longer stays

You can load a commuter pass onto PASMO. Tap the same card within the pass route; fares outside that route come from the stored balance. The pass price and shopping/travel balance are separate.

Unregistered and registered PASMO

A registered PASMO is personal and records your name, gender, date of birth and phone number; it can be replaced if lost. You can hand in an existing unregistered card to change it to a named card later.

1. Prepare your card and registration details.
2. At a PASMO station, say 「このカードを記名に変更したいです」— Kono kādo o kimei ni henkō shitai desu (“I’d like to register this card in my name”). If you have only an overseas phone number or your name does not fit, ask which number and spelling can be registered.
3. Collect the changed card and check the name and balance. Odakyu’s illustrated machine instructions show the PASMO-menu option for changing to a named card.

You can keep travelling on an unregistered card if you do not yet have a phone number. Public official information does not establish whether overseas numbers are accepted or how to register without one. Do not invent a number; check with the seller before registering.

Find the railway company that sells your pass

For a one-to-three-month stay, compare a pass if repeatedly travelling the same route. Confirm your station after moving, commute and employer’s reimbursement rules before buying.

Use a PASMO railway operator’s official search to check the route and seller. When buying an IC commuter pass at a station, JR East issues Suica and Tokyo Metro issues PASMO.

If both operators sell your Tokyo Metro–JR route, either can sell a connecting pass combining both sections on one card.

Connecting-pass routes and sections have restrictions, and some PASMO passes can only be renewed with the original selling operator. Check the route and seller together.

Buy a Tokyo Metro commuter pass

The PASMO balance cannot buy a commuter pass. An adult physical commuter pass can be bought directly at Tokyo Metro’s pink multifunction ticket machines; a web reservation is optional. New passes go on sale 14 days before the start date.

1. Choose the start date, duration such as one or three months, departure/arrival stations and route.
2. At a multifunction machine, select a new commuter pass and follow the screens. You can load it onto your existing PASMO.
3. Check the displayed section, route, period and price, then pay cash or use a supported payment card. A newly issued PASMO needs a separate ¥500 deposit.

Have your existing PASMO, payment method, section, route, start date and duration ready. Check the name, birth date, gender and phone number registered for a named PASMO. The school certificate in Tokyo Metro’s guidance is a requirement for school passes.

If you have no phone number or only an overseas number, confirm the registration procedure at a counter before buying a pass. If unsure about route or name entry, take your card and purchase details to a commuter pass office. The Marunouchi Line offices at Ikebukuro and Otemachi open 7:40–20:00. Use an unregistered PASMO, which needs no registration, until the pass can be issued.

For a mobile pass, select the section in the PASMO app and pay with a card checked against the issuer/registration-method compatibility table.

Compare pay as you go, one month and three months

Compare the same route’s one-way IC fare, one-month pass and three-month pass. One-way IC fare × 2 × round-trip days gives the pay-as-you-go total. For multiple operators, include all sections of the same route.

For example, for a Tokyo Metro section with a 9 km commuter-pass distance, the adult one-way IC fare is ¥209, and passes cost ¥7,990 for one month or ¥22,780 for three months. At ¥418 per round trip, a one-month pass is cheaper from 20 round trips in a month.

For the same route over three months, one return trip per travel day gives these transport-only totals, excluding a new-card deposit and other routes.

The three-month pass is cheaper than pay as you go from the 55th round trip and costs ¥1,190 less than three one-month passes. For your route, divide the three-month price by the return IC fare to estimate the break-even number of trips, excluding days away for a move or travel. Confirm actual prices with Tokyo Metro’s fare/transfer search, entering your stations and route.

If a move changes your commute

For a physical pass bought from Tokyo Metro, apply for a route change at a commuter pass office. After you buy the new pass, the old one is refunded minus its used portion and a ¥220 fee.

Bring the pass, ID and the original payment card if you paid by card. Route changes and cancellations use different calculations. Do not estimate a refund only from remaining days; confirm the amount at the counter before proceeding. For another operator’s pass, follow that operator’s instructions.

Reading errors, dead batteries and lost cards

If the card has money but will not read

1. Read the gate display. If several IC cards are stacked in your wallet, take out just the one you want and tap again.
2. Show the card to gate staff if unsure about the message or operation. You can show the written phrase 「PASMOが読み取れません」— PASMO ga yomitoremasen (“My PASMO isn’t being read”).

Staff can also check a card that does not respond after a long period without use. No response alone does not establish expiry or loss of balance.

If your phone battery runs out

If the phone cannot be used before entry, use another method such as a paper ticket. After entry, do not tap a different card only at the exit: take the unusable phone to a staffed gate.

For Apple Pay PASMO and Android Mobile PASMO, if charging restores the phone before exit, you can use the automatic gate normally. Otherwise, pay the travelled fare in cash and ask staff to clear the entry record after charging. That cash payment is not refunded or compensated even if you hold a commuter pass.

Express cards on compatible iPhones may work on reserve power, but not after a manual shutdown. Ask staff if it does not respond. For loss or device failure, see the next section.

Loss and replacement

For a lost registered card, take ID such as a passport or residence card to a service counter, report the loss and receive a replacement slip. Collect the replacement from the day after registration and within 14 days, paying a ¥520 fee and ¥500 new-card deposit — ¥1,020 total. Unregistered cards cannot be replaced if lost. TOURIST is also excluded from loss replacement.

A PASMO containing a rail commuter pass must be replaced by the issuing railway company, including when expired pass information remains on it.

For mobile PASMO, members can register for replacement through the member menu; stations cannot process it. Non-members cannot stop use through PASMO’s replacement or account-closure procedures, another reason to consider registration. With advance setup, iPhone protection such as Find My may be available. Before changing phones, check the Apple Pay or Android transfer instructions.

Related guides

Prepare your journey with airport transport, and everyday spending with payment methods in Tokyo.

References

• Buying PASMO
• TOURIST PASMO sales locations and use
• PASMO terms and refund conditions
• Mobile PASMO and Apple Pay PASMO refund fees