JR East to discontinue Suica Penguin physical IC cards

JR East has announced that the current physical Suica IC cards featuring the ‘Suica Penguin’ character will be discontinued once existing stock at ticket machines and other sales locations is depleted.

This decision follows the announcement that the Suica Penguin will graduate from its role as the brand’s image character at the end of fiscal year 2026 (March 2027). A new image character is scheduled to debut in April 2027.

In addition to the physical cards, the design displayed on Apple Pay Suica within the Apple Wallet app will temporarily change to a plain design. The new character is expected to appear on digital platforms, such as Mobile Suica, following the transition.