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Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

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Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#91

Post by Symbiote »

filoleg wrote: post #80
hdgvhicv wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve never noticed any delay on the London underground with Apple Pay or a normally debit card - certainly not a second. Havent used an oyster for years but I don’t remember it being faster.

Maybe I am just plainly wrong or encountered some specific stations, but this does not feel true from my experience. During my last visit to London (in 2025), it felt noticeably slower than even NYC subway tap-to-pay. Suica is a whole other beast that isn't even in the same category of speed. It genuinely feels sub-200ms instantaneous.

Correct, Suica is faster than Oyster (card), which is faster than paying with bank cards or phones in London.

(I haven't used the NYC system.)

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#92

Post by throwaway29812 »

cptcobalt wrote: post #20

If you haven’t experienced suica, it’s like magically fast. Faster than NFC, faster than Apple Pay, faster than tap to pay, faster than Disney magic bands, faster than your work badge. It absolutely floored me every time I used it in Japan and it’s a full payment transaction.

[dead]

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#93

Post by imglorp »

cptcobalt wrote: post #20

If you haven’t experienced suica, it’s like magically fast. Faster than NFC, faster than Apple Pay, faster than tap to pay, faster than Disney magic bands, faster than your work badge. It absolutely floored me every time I used it in Japan and it’s a full payment transaction.

It appears to be based on NFC-F with latency under 200 ms, called FeliCa. Similar to regular NFC at around 300 ms latency plus any network times.

https://www.sony.co.jp/en/Products/felica/NFC

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#94

Post by dluan »

pknomad wrote: post #57
cptcobalt wrote: post #20

If you haven’t experienced suica, it’s like magically fast. Faster than NFC, faster than Apple Pay, faster than tap to pay, faster than Disney magic bands, faster than your work badge. It absolutely floored me every time I used it in Japan and it’s a full payment transaction.

It's not only magically fast, but it's super useful. You can use it at vending machines + convenience stores anywhere (unless it's one of those old ones that only take cash/coins and print paper tickets) and at the shops as well. People not in Japan/Singapore/Korea/China should experience what a proper transit card done looks like.

I much prefer convenient over fast, being able to just tap my phone's uploaded IC card/alipay without having to open it up or switch cards is maybe 200ms slower, but I don't have to think or change what I'm doing. Plus with alipay it will just autodeduct so I don't ever have to think about that as well, though Apple wallet Suica makes it easy to reload too.

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#95

Post by Tor3 »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #5
jjice wrote: post #3

Suica was excellent when I had the chance to use it. I used the Apple Pay version and it worked flawlessly. I think I do prefer what I'm seeing more and more in the US with a tap-to-pay so I don't have to learn a new system, but Suica was so universal that I really couldn't complain. Makes sense especially with the larger diversity of digital payment methods and cash prevalence in Japan.

The really nice advantage of Suica is its speed. Yeah credit card tap to pay is alright, but it's relatively slow, taking multiple seconds. Now QR code payment seems to be taking off in Japan, but unfortunately you can't access it as a tourist.

There are several types of QR code payments getting introduced, so it would be interesting to know the specifics. I'm only aware of using a QR code for Shinkansen tickets, which is something I have used and something a tourist can use as well. And then there's the new tickets slowly getting introduced in some areas, where the paper ticket has a QR code. I've not seen those yet, but it sounds like just an ordinary ticket otherwise.

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#97

Post by dluan »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #45
cptcobalt wrote: post #20

If you haven’t experienced suica, it’s like magically fast. Faster than NFC, faster than Apple Pay, faster than tap to pay, faster than Disney magic bands, faster than your work badge. It absolutely floored me every time I used it in Japan and it’s a full payment transaction.

But you should probably just get a suica in your apple or google wallet, you don’t actually need an IC card. I’m not sure if using a phone makes it less fast though, I couldn’t tell (we had to get a card for my kid since he doesn’t have a phone). Definitely better than the QR codes used by China.

You can move your alipay card into apple wallet and have it as the default payment method, so do you don't even have to swipe or turn on your phone, it will even work in low-power/off mode.

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#98

Post by charcircuit »

>Every Suica card has a chip storing two things: a unique card ID, and your current balance.

This is not true. It also stores some history on where you have last entered so it can do things like transfers or block you from exiting an area that you never entered.

Re: Suica, Japan's First IC Transit Card

#100

Post by Tor3 »

kubb wrote: post #4

One thing that surprised me was that certain ramen and soba shops didn’t accept cards at all and the only non-cash payment option was the IC card.

An Indian curry restaurant in "my" local Aeon only accepts PayPay or cash and that's it, so you get all kinds. Other than that I've been able to use my Suica card in surprising places.
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