I’ve been using a commuter pass for the past 1.5 years. And though I’ll be moving in a couple of weeks (on the 20th), I thought getting a commuter pass for a month would still be cheaper than paying for the fare everyday for the next 20 days. And so I did. Except that I didn’t realize my last commuter pass ends on April 7th. In which case, it would be cheaper to just pay for the remaining 13 days instead of a one-month pass. But hell I bought the new pass on April 1st, an apt day for a foolish act.
So, when I realized that I didn’t have to get the one-month pass, I decided to get it cancelled the next morning.
The staff at the counter advised that a processing fee of 210 yen would be charged and I said ok, thinking that it’s still more worth it than keeping the pass since I’ll only be using it from the 8th till the 20th. Big mistake!
When I got my card back, all information of my active pass that ends on the 7th was removed. i double-checked with the guy if I could still use it till the 7th and he said No!
Thank you for the heads up!
So if you were ever in a case like mine, wait till the last day of your pass (April 7 in my case) before you get it cancelled.
Hey Han! I’ve been following your blog on and off for quite a while already (found it when I was googling for information about JET.) As someone who turning 21 this year and contemplating the opportunities available in the big vast world out there, I have gotten quite a lot of information and also heart by reading about how you head out and strive for the things that you want to do.
Anyway! I have a legit question that has driven me out of lurking. I’ll be heading to Japan in May, and I’m curious about the suica card system – friends have told me it’s just like an ezlink card where you can top up money and use it for travel, yes? But in your case, your story would involve our equivalent of concession passes for adults :).
Take care and blog on!
Hi Cel,
Thank you for reading.
Like what your friends have said, Suica is pretty much the same as an EZLink card.
The difference is, with EZLink, you get discounts for rides as opposed to paying by cash, and you get further discounts for transfers. But for the Suica, you pay the same amount as you would by cash, and there is no discount for transfers. It basically is just for the convenience.
As for the concession I’m talking about, it’s not just for adults. There are concessions for students as well. Fortunately, these concessions (monthly, tri-monthly, semi-annually, or annually) are discounted.