Which IC card to buy at Fukuoka Airport — and when you don't need one
If you already have a Suica or PASMO, you do not need to buy anything in Fukuoka. All ten Japanese IC cards work on the subway, on Nishitetsu and on JR Kyushu. If you do not have one, buy Hayakaken from a ticket machine at the station. Every card carries a refundable ¥500 deposit, and topping up is cash only.
If you already have a card, the answer is: none
Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA and PiTaPa all work here — on the Fukuoka City Subway, on Nishitetsu trains and buses, and on JR Kyushu. Ten cards in total belong to the nationwide mutual-use scheme, including the three local ones: Hayakaken, nimoca and SUGOCA.
Buying a second card because you have arrived in a different region is a mistake people make here every day.
If you don't have one yet
| Card | Issued by | Price / deposit | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayakaken | Fukuoka City Subway | ¥1,000–10,000, incl. ¥500 deposit | Station ticket machines |
| nimoca | Nishitetsu | ¥2,000 (¥500 deposit + ¥1,500 to spend) | Counters, incl. Fukuoka Airport Bus Terminal |
| SUGOCA | JR Kyushu | ¥500 deposit | JR station machines and ticket offices |
At the airport station, buy from the machine. Fukuoka Airport Station has no commuter-pass counter — only six stations on the network do, and this is not one of them.
JR Kyushu does not list Fukuoka Airport as a place to buy SUGOCA, so treat Hayakaken and nimoca as the two realistic options at the airport.
The unregistered version of Hayakaken is described officially as a card anyone can use. No nationality or residency requirement is stated, and no passport is asked for.
Three things that catch people out
1. Topping up is cash
JR Kyushu states it plainly on its own visitor page: recharging cannot be done with a credit card. Nishitetsu's station chargers take banknotes only — no coins. Bring notes.
2. You cannot ride between IC areas
A card works within a region, not between regions. You also cannot use the stored value on the Kyushu or Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, and you cannot combine an IC card with a paper ticket on the same journey.
3. If you are short at the gate, you pay in cash
On the Fukuoka subway, a shortfall is settled in cash at the fare adjustment machine. You cannot pay the difference with another IC card. This is the one that strands people who arrived with a nearly empty card and no notes.
Using a phone instead of a card
If you already have Suica or PASMO on your phone, it works in Fukuoka. Mobile Suica and mobile PASMO belong to the same nationwide mutual-use scheme as the plastic cards, so the subway gates, Nishitetsu and JR Kyushu all accept them.
What does not exist is a Fukuoka-issued mobile card. Hayakaken, nimoca and SUGOCA are plastic only — none of the three operators lists a phone version on its official site. So if you arrive without a card and want to use your phone, the answer is to add Suica or PASMO to your phone, not to look for a local equivalent.
One caveat that applies to any of them: topping up at a machine here is cash. Whether your phone lets you top up with a card is a question for whoever issued it, not for Fukuoka.
Where to top up a Suica in Fukuoka
The Transportation Bureau states that nationwide mutual-use cards can be topped up wherever Hayakaken can: subway ticket machines, fare adjustment machines, commuter-pass counters, and convenience store registers. Top-up amounts are ¥1,000, ¥2,000, ¥3,000, ¥4,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000.
The visitor card — and the one that doesn't exist
JR Kyushu sells a card for foreign visitors called SUGOMON PASS.
| Eligibility | Passport issued by a government other than Japan's, with short-term-stay status |
|---|---|
| Price | ¥2,000, of which ¥1,500 is loaded (the rest is the deposit) |
| Where | Hakata Station and Kumamoto Station ticket offices only |
| Quantity | Limited to 2,000 cards |
| Expiry | None |
| Refund | ¥220 fee. Lost cards are not reissued |
Because it is capped at 2,000 cards, check availability at the counter rather than planning around it.
There is no "Welcome SUGOCA." The name appears on third-party travel sites, but it is not on JR Kyushu's own pages. If you go to a counter and ask for one, nobody will know what you mean.
Sources
- Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau — Hayakaken purchase, top-up, usage area, commuter-pass counter locations
- nimoca official — purchase, price and deposit, charging locations, mutual use
- JR Kyushu — SUGOCA rules and FAQ; SUGOMON PASS (English)
- Fukuoka Airport official site — Nishitetsu bus counter, International Terminal
Confirmed on 2 September 2026. Card conditions and stock change; check at the counter.