Can I use credit or debit cards in the ticket machines, or do I have to pay cash?

You can use credit or debit cards in ticket machines on the Japan Railway (JR) lines. These machines are purple and look like this:

At all other ticket vending machines, you can’t use credit or debit cards; you have to pay cash. (At these machines, you can re-charge your PASMO/Suica card with cash.)