iPhone: The Killer Japan Travel Hack

IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca etc) make life so much easier in Japan. You can pay for nearly everything with them: local transport, convenience stores, restaurants, taxis, vending machines etc. You can buy physical IC cards at airports and in major cities, but if you really want maximum convenience, you can install a digital IC card on your iPhone (and then charge it with funds from your Apple Wallet).

You Can Get A Digital IC Card On Your iPhone

If you’ve got an iPhone, you may be able to get a digital IC card. If you’ve got Apple Wallet on your phone, and it’s linked to a MasterCard, Apple Card or American Express card, you’re good to go. Until recently, people had trouble using a Visa card to install and charge a digital IC card, but now people are reporting success with Visa cards as well.

How To Add A Digital IC Card To Your Apple Wallet

Simply do this:

• Open Apple Wallet
• Tap + sign or “add”
• Tap “transit card”
• Find “Suica” on the list
• Add value to card (this will be charged to the credit card linked to your Apple Wallet)

This process is described on the Apple site here.

How To Charge Your Digital IC Card

As long as you’ve got a MasterCard, American Express or Apple card linked to your Apple Wallet, you can easily charge your digital IC card just by tapping a few things on your phone (and, as noted above, Visa card may now work as well). You can also charge your digital IC card on certain IC card machines at larger JR stations in Japan and at most convenience stores in Japan. At JR stations, look for the IC card machines (Suica, Icoca etc) and find one that has a tray large enough to hold your phone (don’t jam your phone into one not designed to hold a phone as it may get stuck). At convenience stores, just hold up your phone to the cashier and say “charge.” In both cases, you must use Japanese cash to charge the digital IC on your phone (ie, you cannot use a credit card). For more details, see How To Charge A Suica, Pasmo Or Icoca Card In Apple Wallet.

What If You Cannot Link A Card To Apple Wallet? Is There A Workaround?

Yes! What you can do is buy a physical Icoca card at any major JR train station in the Kansai area of Japan (including at Kansai Airport). Then, you can import your physical Icoca card into your Apple Wallet. It will import the remaining balance on the card. This process is described here. Thereafter, you can charge your Icoca card at IC card machines and convenience stores in Japan, as described in the previous section. And, if you arrive in Tokyo first, you can buy a physical Suica card and import it into your iPhone.

Install A Digital IC Card Before Arriving And Skip The Lines At The Airport

If you install your digital IC card before arriving in Japan, you’ll be able to skip the lines at Narita and Haneda airports. At Narita, you can use the digital Suica to pass through the turnstiles for the JR lines. Then, you can use it to buy a reserved seat for the Narita Express from reserved seat ticket machines on the platform. At Haneda, you can use the digital Suica to cover your fare on the Tokyo Monorail or Keikyu line (no reserved seat ticket needed). I describe this in more detail on my Top 10 Japan Travel Hacks page.

What Can You Pay With A Digital IC Card?

Here are some places and things you can pay with a digital IC card:

• local trains (both JR and private lines)
• local buses
• subways
• taxis
• convenience stores
• many restaurants
• many shops
• coin lockers
• vending machines

How To Pay With A Digital IC Card

It’s extremely easy to use a digital IC card. Essentially, just imagine that your phone is a big IC card. There is a chip in the phone near the camera lenses of the phone (ie, near the top of the phone). In most cases, your phone does not have to unlocked to make the payment. At stores, there will be a card reader near the cash register. Just hold up your phone at the cashier and they will understand that you want to pay with an IC card (in this case, a digital IC card). They will indicate when you should tap your phone on the reader. If they look confused, just say “IC” (sounds like “Eye She” in Japanese). At train stations, look for the turnstile with the symbol for IC cards (tap your phone when you enter the system and leave the system). On buses, look for the IC reader. In taxis, tell the driver you want to pay by IC card and he will hold the reader out to you. Just note that “IC” is pronounced “Eye She” in Japanese.

The Final Killer Hack That Just Might Work For You: SmartEX For Shinkansen Tickets

If you really want to free yourself from cash and cards, even on the shinkansen, you might just be able to make this one work: the SmartEX for shinkansen tickets.

SmartEX is an app that allows you to buy shinkansen tickets online with your phone. You can then link SmartEX to your digital IC card and you no longer need a physical ticket. Your digital IC card “stores” your ticket information so you just have to tap your phone when you pass through the shinkansen ticket gates. The ticket gate actually produces a seat information ticket that you grab as you pass through the turnstiles. If you’ve bought an unreserved ticket, it just shows your departure and arrival station. IMPORTANT NOTE: SmartEX only works with American Express cards. For all the details, see The Best Way To Buy Shinkansen Tickets: iPhone, Amex And SmartEX.

More Information

For all the details about IC cards, see our full IC Card Guide.

Note: You can also tap-to-ride at the ticket gates of most private train lines in Kansai. See our Tap-To-Ride Guide For Travelers for all the details.

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