Can I use a foreign Visa or Mastercard on the Beijing subway?
Yes. Overseas Mastercard and Visa cards have worked at Beijing subway fare gates since 00:00 on September 13, 2024. You do not need to buy a ticket or download an app first. Overseas JCB cards and American Express cards were added on June 15, 2025.
The tap itself is simple. A Beijing government notice dated 2025-06-16 says you hold the card near the sensor area on the fare gate, without buying a ticket or downloading an app first. It covers 29 operating lines and 523 stations, plus Suburban Railway Line S2. The notice says the gates take cards at all stations during their entire operating hours. It also says cards from more than 130 countries and regions have been used since the service began on September 13, 2024.
The 2025-06-16 tap-and-go notice does not describe the exit tap for bank cards as a separate step. It only says to hold the card near the sensor area. For comparison, the BEIJING PASS page says that card is swiped to get on and off the train.
Do JCB and American Express work on the Beijing subway?
According to the 2025-06-16 notice, yes, for tap-and-go entry, ticket purchases and top-ups. The wording matters:
- JCB: overseas-issued cards.
- American Express: cards issued in China or overseas.
- Mastercard and Visa: the notice lists them alongside UnionPay as already supported. The Basic Information page below describes them as overseas-issued.
The notice says Beijing is now the first city rail system in the world with full-network coverage from all five card organizations: China UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB and American Express.
Two pages, two wordings
The Beijing government's Basic Information of Beijing Subway page, dated 2025-12-29, still carries the earlier wording: 27 subway lines, JCB ‘to be supported’ and American Express ‘not supported yet’. This guide follows the 2025-06-16 announcement. If you see ‘not supported yet’ on that page, it differs from the announcement.
Phones and smartwatches
The Basic Information page says phones and smartwatches linked to UnionPay cards, or to overseas Mastercard and Visa cards, can be used to tap. It does not mention JCB or American Express for phones. The operator reply (see the ticket machine section) talks about smartphone NFC cards carrying logos of international card organizations, with MasterCard and VISA as examples.
Do the airport express lines take foreign cards too?
The 2025-06-16 notice counts the two airport express lines among the 29 operating lines where card tapping works. That notice quotes no airport express fare, so see the fare section below. For the full routes, see our pages on the Capital Airport to the city and Daxing Airport to Beijing.
Can I buy a single-journey ticket with a foreign card or cash?
Two official pages give different answers, so here are both.
- Operator reply (the page shows no date; its web address is dated February 2026): Beijing Subway Operation Co., Ltd. told the Beijing government FAQ that all stations take foreign bank cards for ticket vending and gate entry. Foreign passengers may use financial IC cards, magnetic stripe cards or smartphone NFC cards bearing logos of international card organizations (such as MasterCard and VISA) to buy tickets at self-service machines or tap in. See the FAQ page.
- Basic Information of Beijing Subway, dated 2025-12-29: at a ticket vending machine you can pay with WeChat, Alipay, credit card or cash. It adds that different stations and lines might require different credit cards, with some only for Visa and Mastercard and others for UnionPay (QuickPass included).
Practical reading: a foreign Visa or Mastercard is the best-supported choice, and the gate tap avoids the machine entirely. The Basic Information of Beijing Subway page names cash as a payment option at machines and staffed counters. It does not say whether every machine takes cash. For cash in general, see our page on cash in China.
The machine steps on that page: find the English button, pick your line and station, choose the number of tickets, then pay. A 2024-09-14 Beijing government page says that if you travel with friends, you can buy their tickets with your overseas card at the self-service machines. It also says ticket windows at subway stations fully support foreign bank card payment, with over 1,000 POS machines installed at high-speed railway and subway stations. The Basic Information page warns that station staff may not speak good English, so have a translation app ready.
Can I use Alipay or WeChat on the Beijing subway with a foreign passport?
Alipay: the official route is the Metro ride code. Both the Basic Information page and the transportation card page give these steps, and the ride code is free of charge:
- Open Alipay and choose Travel (the card page calls it Transport).
- Select Metro, then tap Claim now (the card page says Get now).
- Agree to the terms and tap Agree and Obtain the card.
- Enter your Alipay payment password.
The Basic Information page says Alipay can be linked to Chinese or international bank cards. The card page adds that you should complete real-name information verification and bind your payment channels first. Neither page says which document that verification takes, or how a foreign user passes it. So whether a foreign passport and an overseas card get you a working ride code is a question these two pages leave open.
WeChat: the pages name WeChat only as a payment method at ticket machines. Neither the Basic Information of Beijing Subway page nor the How Can Foreigners Obtain Public Transportation Card/Code? page describes a WeChat Pay ride code for the subway.
What is the BEIJING PASS card, where do I buy it and what does it cost?
The BEIJING PASS is a prepaid smart card made for foreign visitors. The Basic Information page says it gives access to public transport and entry into selected attractions, and can pay at some convenience stores. A 2024-09-14 page says it works on over 1,700 bus lines, 28 rail lines and more than 20,000 taxis (2024 figures).
| Item | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Price | CNY 20 for a standard card |
| ID | Valid foreign passport |
| Where sold | Designated self-service machines or service windows; the Basic Information page says you pick it up at the international arrival terminals of Beijing airports |
| Refunds | Sold on a non-refundable basis: no refund of the card cost, no loss report, no refund of the balance if the card is lost |
| Top-up | At designated counters or machines at Beijing Subway, Yikatong self-operated stores or airports; or with the SilkPass app on an NFC-enabled phone |
| Counter top-up | Multiples of CNY 10; balance after top-up must not exceed CNY 1,000 |
| Validity | 20 years |
| Who can use it | One person per card |
On validity, the FAQ adds that after expiry you can extend it at designated service points or windows, for a further six years from the renewal date. The usage FAQ is where one person per card and the on-and-off swipe rule come from.
The How Can Foreigners Obtain Public Transportation Card/Code? page gives a price of CNY 20 and a non-refundable rule. It does not mention a deposit. The full list of sales and refund points is on the official Sales / Refund Channels page.
How much does a Beijing subway ride cost?
The Beijing government's About Subway Fares page (2025-04-23, from Beijing Subway Co., Ltd.) gives a distance-based fare for the network, excluding the two airport express lines.
| Distance | Fare |
|---|---|
| Within 6 km | CNY 3 |
| 6 to 12 km | CNY 4 |
| 12 to 22 km | CNY 5 |
| 22 to 32 km | CNY 6 |
| Beyond 32 km | CNY 1 more for every additional 20 km |
There is no maximum fare cap. The Capital Airport Express has a fixed fare of CNY 25 on that page. The page gives no fare for the Daxing Airport Express, so use the airport pages linked above. It points to the Beijing Subway App and the Beijing Subway website for more fare detail.
That fare page does not say that tapping a bank card costs a different fare from using a ride code or a BEIJING PASS, and none of the other pages say so either.
Other cards and apps the pages leave open
The 2024-09-14 page says Beijing plans to launch an international version of the Yitongxing app, with sign-up by overseas phone number and foreign identity authentication. The later official pages linked in this guide do not confirm that it has launched. The Basic Information of Beijing Subway and How Can Foreigners Obtain Public Transportation Card/Code? pages explain how foreigners can buy a BEIJING PASS, but do not say whether foreigners can buy an ordinary Beijing Yikatong card.
For the rest of your trip, our Beijing travel guide lists the sights these lines reach.
