China - September 20, 2024

Beijing subway allows 'tap-and-go' rides with foreign bank cards

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Beijing has become the first city on the Chinese mainland to allow international visitors to use their Mastercard and Visa bank cards for "tap-and-go" subway rides.

The service was officially launched earlier this month and is available at every gate of the city’s 490 stations.

The tap and go service is already available for locals, allowing riders to skip buying a hard ticket and instead simply tapping their UnionPay bank card onto the turnstile's electronic card reader.

The new system now includes foreign bank cards which are processed according to the same billing rules.

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International passenger:

"It's lovely, because I don't have to download any application, I don't have to deal with the service of subway. I do as I do in Paris with my credit card. By Visa card, I just pass by the counter and pass to the train."

(Voice_over)

Paper tickets are still available.

Data shows that between January to July, Beijing received nearly 2 million inbound tourists, up more than 220 percent year-on-year.

[Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]