I need help/ advice on how to put more money on my Suica. Once arriving to Japan I bought the physical card, added money to it, and then transferred it to my wallet on my iPhone. I’ve been reading that you aren’t able to upload money on the Suica via Apple Pay anymore, so I tried putting my physical card into a machine at the train station( and yes I made sure it was the correct machine) and it spit it out not allowing me to put money on it…… what do I do?! 🙁
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Once switched to a digital one, the physical card is no longer valid.
Did you actually try to charge the Suica on the phone and had problems or just read around without trying?
You can add funds to a Suica card in your Apple Wallet using actual cash via the ATM in any Seven Eleven. It has English menus explaining how to do it, if you need that.
The easiest option is probably just to buy a new Suica card (since you can’t use a physical card that has been permanently transferred to an Apple Wallet)
Or add a credit card to Apple Pay to charge the Suica card that was transferred to your Apple Wallet. Some credit cards don’t work with Apple Pay. But you can get around that by registering a prepaid credit card, then connecting the credit card of your choice to that.
You can also charge the card on your iPhone using ticket machines with a touch sensor. Although these ticket machines are typically only found at main stations.
> *I’ve been reading that you aren’t able to upload money on the Suica via Apple Pay anymore*
What’s broken is using a foreign VISA card to add money via Apple Pay. If you have a Japanese card, or a foreign MasterCard/Amex, that ought to work.
> I’ve been reading that you aren’t able to upload money on the Suica via Apple Pay anymore
Visa is blocking foreign-issued cards. Foreign Mastercard and Amex cards still work, as do Japan-issued Visa cards.
Gaaahhh this transferring to iphone crap kills me.
Transferring an existing physical card to an iphone kills the card and turns it into e-waste while making it harder to charge and use. No reason for a tourist to do that other than to seem cool.
Your physical card is dead, it can’t be used ever again.
You have two choices:
1. Install mobile Suica and use that to charge the card in your phone if you have a Japanese credit card.
2. You can charge your phone at 7-11 ATMs, most konbini counters, and dinner train station kiosks that have a place to put your phone (like Keio)
International Mastercard and American Express work
The physical card is no longer usable once you transfer it to your phone. Your options are:
Use an American Express or MasterCard through your Apple Pay (foreign or Japanese)
Put your phone on the charging cradle at a 7-11 ATM or at a charging machine at select stations and charge with cash
Use a Japanese visa card through Apple Pay
You can stick your phone into/onto the card reader at some Pasmo/Suica machines (the kind where you don’t insert the card) and top up with cash like that.
You can charge in so many different ways, it’s kinda ridiculous. You could charge with Line points if you wanted. Use the prepaid Line Visa in the app, set it to use points and bam. Charge away.