The capital of China, Beijing, is considered one of the most prominent cities in the world, where various national and international activities can be seen at all times. This is why, in recent years, the city has implemented various projects related to economic and social development and ensured notable facilities for the public. These also include innovative services designed for foreign visitors and tourists.
Continuing this effort, Beijing’s urban metro system has recently introduced contactless train pass and ticket purchasing features for foreign JCB cards and American Express cards. With this development, Beijing has become the first metro system in the world to cover the networks of five major card schemes. Through this system, Beijing Metro now supports contactless train travel, ticket purchasing, and fare adjustments, making payment more convenient and improving the quality of services for domestic tourism.
This service improvement covers the entire Beijing metro network, including all 29 operational lines, two airport lines, 523 stations, and suburban metro lines. As a result, contactless facilities are now available at all ticket points. With this feature, passengers can simply tap their cards on the turnstile sensors for instant access. There is no longer a need to purchase tickets in advance or download any application. In addition to using their cards for entry, cardholders can also use automated ticket vending machines to purchase tickets for multiple companions.
According to Chinese authorities, this feature was implemented by upgrading the software of ticket vending machines to support “tap-and-go” purchases with the new cards—without changing the existing hardware.
In addition to supporting foreign cards for tap-and-go access, Beijing Rail Transit is providing international passengers with a fully integrated and convenient payment environment that covers all travel scenarios. For example, if a traveler exceeds the allowed time while using a single-trip ticket, foreign passengers can use internationally issued bank cards at self-service machines to adjust fares. This reduces communication barriers and further improves travel convenience.
Previously, in September 2024, Beijing’s transport sector introduced payment support for Mastercard and Visa. With the addition of JCB and American Express, Beijing Metro has now become the first metro system in the world to provide payment services across five major card networks: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express.
Since the launch of the tap-and-go service on September 13, 2024, Beijing’s urban metro system has enabled the efficient use of bank cards issued in more than 130 countries and regions, and no complaints have been reported so far.
In recent times, along with the rapid growth of China’s domestic travel market, international travel has also expanded significantly, with increases in both inbound and outbound tourism. Thanks to China’s visa-free travel policies, travel to the country has accelerated, attracting international tourists eager to experience the unique blend of centuries-old traditions and modern technology. In this context, an improved payment environment, excellent travel facilities, and other encouraging measures have made traveling in China much easier for foreign tourists.
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