New system allows you to travel with just a credit card on more than 50 lines in and around the capital, but with one major holdout. It was a big deal when train lines in Japan added the option to pay

New system allows you to travel with just a credit card on more than 50 lines in and around the capital, but with one major holdout.

It was a big deal when train lines in Japan added the option to pay for your fare using an IC card. Rather than having to buy a paper ticket from a machine to feed through the gate every time you wanted to go somewhere, all you had to do was tap your prepaid card and the fare would be automatically deducted.

Nowadays, though, that sort of pay-with-a-tap functionality is something that’s built into a lot of credit cards, and so it’s time for another change in train ticket purchase options.** As of March 25, credit card tap payments can finally be used via an integrated system for nearly a dozen rail operators in the Tokyo area, allowing you to easily ride and transfer between their lines just by tapping your card, with no need to fiddle with tickets or to purchase and recharge IC cards**.

The new system supports credit card tap payments for a total of 11 operators, including** both Tokyo subway companies (Tokyo Metro and Toei). Also part of the system are the lines operated by Keihin Kyuko/Keikyu, Keio, Odakyu, Odakyu Hakone, Sagami Railway, Seibu, Tobu, Tokyu, and Yokohama Rapid Railway (operator of the Minato Mirai and Kodomonokuni Lines). Aside from the Tokyo city center, that network provides access to destinations as far as Hakone and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture and Kinugawa in Tochigi**. The credit card tap network also connects with Haneda Airport to the Tokyo subway system via Keikyu train lines, which should make it especially convenient for international travelers who’ve just landed in Japan and want to get to their hotel or sightseeing destinations ASAP.

The complete credit card tap network consists of 54 lines and 729 stations. The current list of usable cards consists of Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, and UnionPay.

Notably absent from the new credit card payment system is East Japan Railway Company, a.k.a. JR East. However, while JR does operate the Yamanote Line loop that encircles downtown Tokyo, most of its other lines are more useful for local residents commuting to/from the suburbs, so if you’re in Tokyo for on vacation, your credit card might be all you need to handle your train and subway fares.