How do I pay for and ride the metro in China?
Buy a single ticket or use an Alipay metro code. Overseas cards work at some gates, including Beijing.
What it depends on
- IfYou want a simple fallback→ thenBuy a single-journey ticket at the station counter or machine, then keep it until exit.
- IfYou want to use your phone→ thenOpen Alipay Transport, select your city, finish identity verification and scan the metro code at both gates.
- IfYou have an overseas bank card→ thenOfficial guidance confirms tap-to-ride in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Check the gate logo; in the other four cities, bring a ticket or metro code.
If you have no local transport app, go to the station ticket counter or machine for a single-journey ticket. The State Council's visitor guide lists both. Keep the ticket or code handy until you leave: Shanghai, for example, collects its plastic single ticket at the exit gate and scans its paper code on the way in and out.
If you use Alipay, open Transport, choose the city and complete the identity step to get a metro code. Scan it at entry and exit. This is a city selection, so check that the city and metro service you need appear in the app before joining the gate queue.
As of September 30, 2026, official guidance confirms overseas Visa and Mastercard tap-to-ride in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In Guangzhou, look for the card-network logo on the gate; the city's guidance specifies contactless cards. Shenzhen says to enable small-value contactless payments before tapping. Check the gate signs even in these four cities.
For Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing and Xi'an, this review did not find an official notice confirming overseas Visa or Mastercard tap-to-ride. Do not count on the card at the gate there. Bring RMB for a single ticket or set up an Alipay metro code before you travel. The State Council's guide says the Alipay code requires identity verification; it does not specify that a passport completes that particular step.
Expect a security check at the station entrance; Shanghai Metro describes this as routine. For an evening ride, read the first and last train times and transfer signs at the station instead of assuming the entire network closes together. Shanghai's rail rules require those notices to be posted. If you are continuing on a Shanghai single ticket, stay inside the paid area for the transfer: its single tickets do not cover an out-of-station transfer.
Useful apps
Sources
- State Council — 2025 guide to working and living in ChinaOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-30: 'Foreign travelers can buy single-journey tickets at the ticket office or self-service ticketing machine' and 'After completing identity verification, you will obtain a QR code for metro.' The page does not identify a passport as the document for Alipay metro-code verification.
Open source ↗ - Beijing Municipal Government — overseas cards on the metroOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-30: 'Mastercard and Visa cards to enter and ride the train without purchasing a ticket.' No nationwide claim.
Open source ↗ - Shanghai Municipal Government — how to take the metroOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-30: 'Passengers can tap eligible contactless cards, including UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and JCB ... at the gates for Tap to Ride.' Also describes plastic and paper single tickets.
Open source ↗ - Shanghai Municipal Government — metro security guidanceOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-29: security checks are routine; check first and last train times.
Open source ↗ - Shanghai Municipality — rail transport regulationsOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-29: stations post first/last train times and transfer instructions.
Open source ↗ - Guangzhou Foreign Affairs via Municipal Justice Bureau — contactless metro gatesOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-30: 'Supported cards include overseas-issued Mastercard, American Express, Visa, and JCB cards' and 'All cards must have contactless payment capability.' The notice says to use gates marked with the card-network logo.
Open source ↗ - Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau — overseas cards at metro gatesOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-09-30: '深圳地铁全线网17条运营线路、432座车站实现中国银联（UnionPay）、维萨（Visa）、万事达卡（Mastercard）' and '具备非接触式支付功能、已开通小额免密支付'.
Open source ↗