> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nipponstays.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Welcome Suica Mobile: 180 Days, ¥20,000 Cap, Top-Ups Not Refunded - URL: https://www.nipponstays.com/welcome-suica-mobile-iphone-guide/ - Published: 2026-10-03T01:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-03T00:59:59.000Z - Description: Welcome Suica Mobile on iPhone: valid 180 days, ¥20,000 cap, ¥1,000 first top-up, no refunds. Six countries can set it up before landing. - Author: Hideaki Yasukawa - Tags: Tokyo, Transport, #2026-10-jr-travel-service-center-01 Welcome Suica Mobile is JR East's iOS app for issuing and topping up a Suica directly on an iPhone, or on a Suica-compatible Apple Watch, for use on IC-mark trains, buses and shops nationwide. The card is valid for 180 days from the day you issue it, holds up to ¥20,000, and needs a ¥1,000 minimum top-up to start — and once a top-up is loaded, it is not refundable. The one condition that changes how you set it up: only travelers from Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam can issue the card before they land, according to JR East's FAQ (current as of March 6, 2025, checked September 2026). Everyone else sets it up after arrival, with location services turned on. ## Five rules that catch visitors after they set it up Five official rules matter most once the card is loaded: - Validity is 180 days from the day you issue the card; any balance left when it expires is gone. - Top-ups are not refundable, so the balance you load is the balance you need to spend. - The first top-up has a ¥1,000 minimum; every top-up, including the first, is capped at ¥10,000, and the balance can never exceed ¥20,000. - In-app top-ups only work with an Apple Pay credit card registered in your own name. - The Secret Keyword you set during registration cannot be changed later, and you need it if the app or phone is lost, broken, or needs support. | Item | Official rule | What it means for you | | --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Validity | 180 days from the day you issue it; any balance left then expires | Do not load more than you will spend before day 180 | | Refund of topped-up balance | Not refundable | Same as above | | First top-up | A ¥1,000 minimum when you issue the card | Budget it as spending money, not a fee | | Balance cap | Up to ¥20,000 in total, up to ¥10,000 per top-up | Top up more than once on a long trip | | In-app top-up | Apple Pay credit card in your own name | Check with your card issuer whether it works in Apple Pay | | Issuing before arrival | Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam (list as of March 6, 2025) | Everyone else issues it in Japan with location services on | | Secret Keyword | Cannot be changed; needed for support if the phone is lost or broken | Write it down somewhere other than the phone | | Maintenance | No registration, top-up or device change 2:00–4:00 JST | Late-night arrivals may have to wait | The same Apple Pay-only rule extends to the discount passes JR East sells inside the app: of the five it offers — Tokunai Pass, Tokyo 1-Day Ticket, Yokohama-Minatomirai Pass, NONBIRI Holiday Suica Pass and Monorail & Tokunai Pass — all five are same-day tickets paid with Apple Pay, not Suica balance (official FAQ, checked September 2026). JR East describes Welcome Suica Mobile as an app for iOS; the official pages do not mention an Android version. It is only available where JR East has published it on the App Store, so check availability for your country first. See JR East's [official Welcome Suica Mobile FAQ](https://apfaq.mobilesuica.com/?site%5Fdomain=wsm&ref=nipponstays.com) for the full rule set. ## Setting it up: before you fly, or after you land Check the phone first: JR East lists the compatible devices as iPhone XR/XS and later on iOS 17.2 or higher, and Apple Watch Series 3 and later (official compatible-devices page, checked September 2026). Older iPhones cannot issue the card even if the App Store lets them install the app. Welcome Suica Mobile is set up inside the app, not at a station: download it from the App Store (JR East's [official Welcome Suica Mobile page](https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/wsmlp/?ref=nipponstays.com) links to it), agree to the terms, set your Secret Keyword — it cannot be changed later — then allow location services and choose your first top-up, paid with Apple Pay. JR East states it collects no personal information beyond an optional home-country field, and won't issue or top up a Suica without location access switched on. Six countries let travelers issue the card before they land: Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam, according to JR East's FAQ list, current as of March 6, 2025 (checked September 2026). Travelers from anywhere else set the card up after arriving in Japan, with location services enabled and the first top-up ready to go. If you're arriving from outside those six countries and need mobile data to finish setup at the airport, our [eSIM guide](https://www.nipponstays.com/best-esim-for-japan/) covers connectivity options for Japan. Registration, top-ups and device changes are unavailable 2:00–4:00 JST for maintenance, which matters for late-night or early-morning arrivals. ## Topping up: Apple Pay in your own name, or cash at a convenience store Issuing the card and topping it up in the app both need a credit card in your own name registered in Apple Pay; JR East's support center does not say which cards work, so check with your card company before you travel. Once the card is issued, you can also add cash at Suica-compatible convenience stores (tell the clerk you want to charge your Suica), Seven Bank ATMs, Lawson Bank ATMs, and Welcome Suica Mobile-compatible tray-style charge machines at some stations; machines run by some private railways, bus companies or shops may not accept it. Each top-up is capped at ¥10,000, and the total balance can't exceed ¥20,000\. Because top-ups are non-refundable and the card expires after 180 days, the practical approach is to load only what you expect to spend before it expires, and top up again on a longer trip rather than loading the full ¥20,000 at once. ## What it does on trains: Touch de Go Shinkansen, Green Car tickets and e-tickets Beyond ordinary IC-mark use, Welcome Suica Mobile unlocks a few JR East-specific features. Touch de Go Shinkansen lets you ride unreserved shinkansen seats within the JR East area from the day you issue the card, paid straight from your Suica balance with no separate ticket. The card also works for Suica Green Car tickets on local trains, and for e-tickets on reserved shinkansen and limited express seats — no paper ticket to collect or lose. For how those e-tickets work once you're at the gates in Tokyo, see our [Tokyo Station shinkansen guide](https://www.nipponstays.com/tokyo-station-shinkansen-practical-guide/). ## Discount passes in the app: same day only, one per phone JR East also sells five discount passes inside Welcome Suica Mobile: the Tokunai Pass, Tokyo 1-Day Ticket, Yokohama-Minatomirai Pass, NONBIRI Holiday Suica Pass, and Monorail & Tokunai Pass. All five are same-day tickets, bought with Apple Pay rather than your Suica balance, and each one is for one person: you cannot buy a companion's pass in your app, so every rider buys their own on their own device. Buy before you go through the ticket gates; the app's purchase window runs 4:00–23:45. If you don't end up using a pass you bought, you can refund it through the app before it expires, and the refund goes back to the card you paid with, minus a ¥220 handling fee; refunds run 5:00–23:45, up to 23:45 on the day of use. One transfer quirk worth knowing: coming off the Tokaido Shinkansen, if it is the pass's first use, you cannot go straight through the transfer gate — exit through the shinkansen gate and re-enter through a regular-line gate. ## Apple Watch, a new phone, and coin lockers: when your Suica ID changes A Suica issued through Welcome Suica Mobile also works on a Suica-compatible Apple Watch, and it keeps working even if you leave your iPhone behind, as long as the Watch was paired with your iPhone — but you cannot use the same Suica on the iPhone and the Watch at the same time. Deleting the card, moving it to a new device, or reissuing it can change the card's Suica ID. Anything tied to the old ID — a shinkansen e-ticket or Express Reservation you have not yet used — may need re-linking; JR East's FAQ says to re-link the new Suica ID. If a locker you locked with the Suica won't open, JR East's FAQ says to contact the locker's operator (the number is usually on the locker), at your own cost. If the lockers at your station are full to begin with, see our [guide to full coin lockers](https://www.nipponstays.com/coin-lockers-full-japan-what-to-do/). The Secret Keyword set at registration is what JR East's support team asks for if a device is lost, broken, or needs replacing — another reason not to lose it along with your phone. ## What Welcome Suica Mobile can and cannot do Based on JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile pages and official FAQ, checked September 2026: | Task | Can it? | Condition (official) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | Ride trains and buses, pay at IC-mark shops nationwide | Yes | With enough balance | | Ride JR East shinkansen unreserved seats (Touch de Go Shinkansen) | Yes | From the day you issue it, paid from balance | | Suica Green Car ticket (local trains) | Yes | — | | Shinkansen and limited express reserved-seat e-tickets | Yes | Without collecting a paper ticket | | Buy a Tokunai Pass or Tokyo 1-Day Ticket in the app | Yes | Same day only, Apple Pay, before entering the gates | | Buy a discount pass for a travel companion on your phone | No | Each pass is for one person; each rider buys on their own device | | Pay for a discount pass with Suica balance | No | Apple Pay only | | Get unused topped-up balance back | No | Top-ups are non-refundable | | Use it on iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time | No | One device at a time | | Keep using it after 180 days | No | Balance expires | If something doesn't match the table, JR East's support line for the app is 050-2016-5077, open 10:00–19:00 and often busy. In person, the door signs at the JR EAST Travel Service Center in Shibuya Station point to Welcome Suica alongside JR Pass and tickets; the sign does not say what the counter does for it. See our guide to [JR EAST Travel Service Centers in Tokyo](https://www.nipponstays.com/jr-east-travel-service-center-tokyo/) for locations and hours. JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile page also advertises a JR EAST Rewards free-data promotion that began on June 9, 2026, with no end date announced; check its terms before counting on it. ## FAQ: Welcome Suica Mobile ### How long is Welcome Suica Mobile valid? A Suica issued through Welcome Suica Mobile is valid for 180 days from the day you issue it. Any balance still on the card when it expires is lost, and top-ups are never refundable, so spend the balance down before day 180. ### Can I get my remaining balance back? No. Top-ups to Welcome Suica Mobile are non-refundable under JR East's official rules. Because the balance cap is ¥20,000 and each top-up is capped at ¥10,000, top up in smaller amounts as needed instead of loading the maximum at once. The one exception is an unused discount pass bought in the app, which can be refunded before it expires for a ¥220 fee. ### Can I set up Welcome Suica Mobile before I fly to Japan? Only if you're traveling from Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia or Vietnam — JR East's FAQ lists those six countries as able to issue the card before arrival, current as of March 6, 2025 (checked September 2026). Travelers from other countries set it up after landing, with location services turned on and a ¥1,000 minimum first top-up. ### Can I buy a discount pass for my travel companion on my iPhone? No. Passes bought inside Welcome Suica Mobile, such as the Tokunai Pass or Tokyo 1-Day Ticket, are for one person only and paid with Apple Pay, not Suica balance; a companion's pass cannot be bought in your app, so each rider buys their own on their own device.