How to Identify the Right Gate, Use It Correctly, and Avoid Common Mistakes
In the Kanto area, more railway lines now allow passengers to pass through ticket gates using a contactless credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or a smartphone set up with one of these cards.
From 25 March 2026, mutual interoperability will begin across 11 operators: Odakyu Electric Railway, Odakyu Hakone, Keio Corporation, Keikyu Corporation, Sotetsu, Seibu Railway, Tokyu Corporation, Tokyo Metro, Toei Transportation, Tobu Railway, and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway.
1. If You See This Symbol, You Can Use It
What works is a contactless-enabled card or a smartphone with that card set up on it. Toei Transportation lists the following supported brands: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay. No membership registration is required.
If your card supports tap-to-pay, you can use it.
2. Choose the Right Gate
Not every ticket gate supports contactless payment.
You need to choose a gate with a dedicated reader, or at some stations, a gate with a dedicated contactless terminal.
Toei Transportation uses a system where passengers tap a reader attached to the automatic ticket gate.
Keikyu also uses dedicated terminals at some stations and gates.
Before entering, check for the contactless payment sign and the dedicated reader.
3. How to Tap In
When entering, tap your card or smartphone once on the dedicated reader.
Toei Transportation allows passengers to pass through the gate immediately after tapping the reader.
Tokyo Metro also offers a postpaid travel service where you tap the gate reader and pass through.
The process is simple.
It feels similar to using an IC card.
You just tap the dedicated reader.
4. Tap Out With the Same Card
When exiting, you must use the same card or the same smartphone that you used when entering. Keikyu states that even if the card number is the same, different media cannot be used between entry and exit.
If you entered with a physical card, you must exit with that same physical card.
If you entered with a smartphone, you must exit with that same smartphone.
It is important not to change the payment medium between entry and exit.
5. There Are Still Places in Kanto Where It Does Not Work
Although support is expanding quickly across Kanto, contactless payment is not available at every line or every gate. As of 25 March 2026, mutual interoperability begins across 11 operators, but the specific lines and stations covered differ depending on the railway company.
There are also restrictions. On Keikyu, contactless travel uses the adult fare only, so child fares do not apply, and transfer discounts with Toei lines do not apply. In addition, the card cannot be used by anyone other than the cardholder. Toei Transportation also does not allow one card to be used for multiple passengers.
Coverage is increasing, but it is easier to understand if you think of it this way: it is not yet standard across all stations and all lines in Kanto.
6. IC Card vs Contactless Payment
Contactless payment is becoming more widely available, but IC cards such as Suica and PASMO are still more convenient in most cases.
They are easier to use when travelling with children or making multiple transfers.
In addition, contactless payment may take slightly longer to process, which can feel difficult at busy ticket gates, especially during peak times. For smoother travel, IC cards are often the more convenient option.
A simple way to compare them is:
- Need to board quickly after arriving at the airport → Contactless payment is also OK
- Travelling alone on a simple route → Contactless payment is also OK
- Travelling with children → An IC card is more convenient
- Making multiple transfers → An IC card is more convenient
- Weekdays from 7:30 to 9:30 and 17:00 to 19:30 → An IC card is more convenient
Conclusion
- Prepare a contactless-enabled card or smartphone
- Choose a ticket gate with a dedicated reader
- Tap when entering
- Tap out with the same card or the same smartphone
- Be aware that there are still unsupported gates and fare restrictions in Kanto
- If you are travelling with children, making multiple transfers, or travelling on weekdays from 7:30 to 9:30 or 17:00 to 19:30, an IC card is more convenient
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