BEIJING, Sept 18 – Beijing has become the first city on the Chinese mainland to support contactless subway fare payments for foreign holders of Mastercard and Visa cards, a new measure in the city’s efforts to be further open to the world, reported ChinaNews.
Starting on Friday, foreign visitors can use Mastercard and Visa cards issued overseas to take all subway lines in the city, and pay smoothly according to the same billing rules as local residents.
“Previously, foreign visitors had to buy tickets with cash or use their cards at manual ticket counters. The new measure saves time and avoids the hassle of purchasing tickets,” said Zhao Zilong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
The service is available at all gates of 490 stations along 27 subway lines, including two airport lines, the Xijiao Line and Yizhuang T1 Line, covering a total length of 836 kilometers.
Beijing has upgraded more than 20,000 pieces of equipment at subway stations to facilitate the new payment initiative, which was announced at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services, held in the city last week. This is a valuable addition to payment methods that include UnionPay cards and QR codes.
