How to Check Your Suica Card Balance at Ticket Gates

Many Suica and Pasmo users have experienced the inconvenience of being unable to pass through an automatic ticket gate due to insufficient balance or an expired commuter pass. To prevent such situations, these transportation IC cards come with an audible alarm function. This feature alerts you when your balance is low or your commuter pass is nearing expiration. Did you know about this?

In this article, I’ll explain the different sounds these cards produce in various circumstances and how to set them up.

Suica Guide 2024: Where and How to Buy A Suica Card in Japan?

Available Sounds

There are five distinct sounds that notify you of your remaining balance and the validity period of your commuter pass. According to the JR East website, Suica cards provide an alert by changing the voice guidance response sound at the ticket gate. It notifies you when your remaining balance drops below 1,000 yen or when your commuter pass is set to expire within the next 14 days.

Source: JR East – Voice guidance when passing through ticket gates (Note: The information provided here is a textual explanation and does not represent the actual voice alerts.)

If You Are Using a Commuter Pass

Using the Balance

If You Can’t Get Through

A common sound is played whether you are using a commuter pass or a balance.

Unable to pass / Insufficient remaining amount / Out of section or out of period → “bi—“

How to Set Up

For Suica and Pasmo cards in the Kanto region, the voice guidance function is turned off by default. The Pasmo website refers to “voice guidance” as an “electronic sound notification function”.

It is very easy to enable this useful feature:

If you want to use this function, please ask the ticket gate attendant after purchase.

The JR East official website provides detailed instructions.

If you go to a ticket gate attendant and tell them that you want to enable the voice guidance function, they will set it up for you in just a few minutes.

You Can Even Set Up Mobile Suica!

Open the app, tap on “Ticket Purchase/Suica Management” at the bottom right, and at the bottom, there is a button called “Voice Guidance Service Usage Settings”.

After tapping the “Configure Voice Guidance Service Usage” button, you will jump to a new screen.

Select “Use” and click “Change” at the bottom to complete the settings. It’s a very easy way to use this useful feature, so please give it a try.

What About ICOCA in Kansai?

While Suica and Pasmo in the Kanto region have the voice guidance function turned off by default, ICOCA in the Kansai region has it enabled by default without the need to ask the station staff.

Source: ICOCA Official Website