How to Choose Tokyo Transit Passes: Are Suica, Welcome Suica, the Tokyo Subway Ticket, and the JR Pass Worth It?

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Tokyo has enough ticket options to make anyone hesitate: which IC card to get, whether unlimited subway rides pay off, and whether you need a JR Pass at all. This guide uses prices checked on the JR East, Tokyo Metro, PASMO, and Japan Rail Pass official websites in 9/2026. It explains exactly what each ticket covers, then gives you a decision chart to follow.

The short answer: everyone should have an IC card, because paying per ride is simplest. If you take four or more subway rides a day and your sights are all along subway lines, add a Tokyo Subway Ticket. If you are only visiting Tokyo and not going to Kansai, the JR Pass is definitely poor value.

IC cards: Welcome Suica, TOURIST PASMO, and Suica on your phone

Welcome Suica: no deposit, valid for 28 days, no refunds

Welcome Suica is JR East’s IC card for short-term visitors. It has no deposit and is valid for 28 days, including the day of purchase. Choose a value from 1,000 to 10,000 yen; any remaining balance is nonrefundable. Dedicated ticket machines are available at Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Terminal 2・3 Station, and Haneda Airport Terminal 3’s monorail station. JR East Travel Service Centers also sell it at both Narita stations, Haneda Terminal 3, and Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, and Yokohama stations. As a rule, each person needs their own card. You can top it up only with Japanese yen in cash, at ticket or fare-adjustment machines displaying the Welcome Suica logo or at Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores. Credit cards cannot be used for top-ups, and the balance limit is 20,000 yen. You can use it on railways and buses and at convenience stores across Japan that display the transit IC symbol. You cannot ride continuously across IC service areas; for example, when traveling from Tokyo to Sendai, you must exit and re-enter through the ticket gates. The Tokunai Pass and Tokyo Free Ticket (東京フリーきっぷ) can be loaded directly onto the card.

TOURIST PASMO: launched in 5/2026, available at Narita and Haneda

The PASMO Council launched TOURIST PASMO in 5/2026, replacing PASMO PASSPORT, which stopped selling in 2024. Its rules are almost the same as Welcome Suica’s: it is valid for 28 days from issue, has no deposit, and offers no refund of unused balance. It works on transportation IC railways and buses and for electronic payments across Japan. At Haneda, buy it from the ticket machines at Keikyu’s Terminal 1・2 Station or the Keikyu Tourist Information Center in Terminal 3, with an initial balance from 1,000 to 10,000 yen. At Narita, buy it at Keisei’s SKYLINER & KEISEI Information Center; only the 2,000-yen version is sold there (including a 2,000-yen balance). It is an easy pickup if you take Keikyu or Keisei into the city.

Suica on your phone: add it directly on iPhone; Welcome Suica Mobile lasts 180 days

On iPhone, you can add Suica or PASMO directly in the Wallet app and top it up with a payment card in Wallet, without queuing for a physical card. Apple says Suica requires an iPhone 7 or later. JR East also offers Welcome Suica Mobile (iOS only), valid for 180 days after issue and available to anyone aged 13 or older. Its unused balance is likewise nonrefundable. In the app, you can buy ordinary-train Green Car tickets and reserve seats on N'EX and Shinkansen trains. Regulations in some countries restrict downloading or topping up before entering Japan, so open the app and try it before departure. Most overseas Android models lack FeliCa; a physical card is the safer choice.

Tokyo Subway Ticket: unlimited rides on Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway

Prices and coverage

The Tokyo Subway Ticket costs 1,000 yen for 24 hours, 1,500 yen for 48 hours, or 2,000 yen for 72 hours; children pay half price. Time runs continuously from your first entry through a ticket gate rather than by calendar day, so starting in the evening does not waste a day. It covers all 9 Tokyo Metro lines and 4 Toei Subway lines, including Ginza, Asakusa, Omotesando, Roppongi, Ueno, Tsukiji, and Oshiage. Depending on the sales channel, paper tickets are available to inbound foreign visitors and to domestic travelers visiting Tokyo from outside Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Yamanashi. Transport or accommodation conditions differ by channel, and inbound foreign visitors must show a passport at designated counters. The QR version is sold only to inbound foreign visitors; domestic travelers cannot buy it. Confirm the eligibility rules for the specific ticket type and sales point.

Which lines are excluded

The JR Yamanote, Chuo, and Keihin-Tohoku lines are excluded. You must pay separately for direct JR trips such as Shinjuku to Tokyo Station, Harajuku, or Akihabara. Private railways are excluded too: use an IC card for the Yurikamome to Odaiba or Shin-Toyosu (teamLab Planets), as well as Odakyu, Tokyu, and Keio. Keisei, Keikyu, the monorail, and N'EX airport services also require separate tickets. The pass pays off only if your sights are concentrated along subway lines. Skip it if you take just two rides a day.

How to buy it

Eligible inbound foreign visitors can buy the QR version online. After purchasing through Tokyo Metro’s official ticket store, show the QR code on your phone at the gate; groups can send each traveler’s ticket to that person’s phone. Domestic travelers in Japan cannot buy the QR version. Paper tickets are sold through designated channels, including Tokyo Metro commuter pass offices; check the official website for sales points and eligibility conditions. Airport bundles can save more: from Narita, buy a Skyliner plus Tokyo Subway Ticket bundle at Keisei’s airport information center. If flying ANA or JAL into Haneda, buy the KEIKYU Hanetoku Ticket plus Tokyo Subway Ticket on the airline’s website: 24 hours costs 1,600 yen, 48 hours 2,100 yen, and 72 hours 2,600 yen. Redeem it at Haneda.

Other day passes: Metro 24-hour pass, Metro–Toei Common Day Pass, Tokyo Free Ticket, Tokunai Pass

• Tokyo Metro 24-hour pass: 700 yen for adults and 350 yen for children. It covers only the 9 Metro lines for 24 hours from first use. Buy it on the day at a station ticket machine, or preorder online and use it within 6 months.
• Tokyo Metro–Toei Subway Common Day Pass: 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for children. It covers 13 Metro and Toei lines but is valid by calendar day.
• Tokyo 1-Day Ticket (東京フリーきっぷ): 1,720 yen for adults and 860 yen for children. It covers Metro, Toei Subway, Tokyo Sakura Tram, Toei buses, the Nippori-Toneri Liner, and all JR lines within Tokyo’s 23 wards. It can be loaded onto Welcome Suica.
• JR Tokunai Pass: 870 yen for adults and 430 yen for children. It provides unlimited rides for one day in unreserved seats on ordinary JR trains within Tokyo’s 23 wards.

When the JR Pass is poor value: skip it if you are only visiting Tokyo

Through September 30, 2026, a 7-day ordinary-class JAPAN RAIL PASS costs 50,000 yen for adults. From October 1, 2026, an exchange order bought from an overseas sales agent costs 53,000 yen for 7 days in ordinary class; the 14-day price rises from 80,000 to 84,000 yen and the 21-day price from 100,000 to 105,000 yen. The 7-day Green Car price rises from 70,000 to 74,000 yen. The official JAPAN RAIL PASS Reservation website temporarily retains the previous prices, and no adjustment date has been announced. The increase depends on the purchase date and local time at the place of purchase, not the travel date. Nozomi and Mizuho trains require a separate special ticket. JR rides within Tokyo cost at most a few hundred yen per day, so a JR Pass is always a loss if you visit only Tokyo or Tokyo and nearby areas. For Nikko, Lake Kawaguchi, or Karuizawa, the 3-day JR TOKYO Wide Pass at 16,000 yen is a better fit, though it pays off only if you make long-distance trips on at least two consecutive days. If you arrive in Tokyo and depart from Osaka, simply buy a one-way Shinkansen ticket. A JR Pass is worth considering only if you travel from Tokyo to Kansai and back within 7 days and make other long-distance trips in between. Calculate the official fares for your purchase channel before deciding.

One decision chart: follow it to choose

The chart below walks through three questions: whether you will visit cities outside Tokyo, how many subway rides you will take in a day, and whether your sights are along subway lines. Most first-time Tokyo visitors will end up with either “pay per ride with an IC card” or “IC card plus a 72-hour Tokyo Subway Ticket.”

Read the full description

First, buy an IC card. Question one: Will you leave Tokyo on this trip? If no, do not buy a JR Pass. If yes, consider a JR Pass only if you travel from Tokyo to Kansai and back to Tokyo within seven days and also have other long-distance trips; otherwise, buy a one-way Shinkansen ticket or a JR TOKYO Wide Pass. Question two: Will you take the subway four or more times in one day in Tokyo? If no, pay for each ride with your IC card. If yes, question three: Are most of your sights along Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines? If yes, buy a Tokyo Subway Ticket for 24、48、72 hours. If no and you have only one day of intensive travel, buy a Tokyo Free Kippu or a Tokunai Pass. For multiple days, pay for each ride with your IC card and buy a 24-hour ticket for the intensive travel days.

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