Guangzhou metro with a foreign Visa or Mastercard in 2026: tap-to-ride, tickets and day passes

Can I tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard on the Guangzhou metro?

Yes, if the card is contactless. From 12 October 2025, you can tap an overseas-issued Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB card on the gate at any Guangzhou metro station. Use a gate marked with a card-network logo and hold the card near the logo area. You do not need to buy a ticket first or download an app (Guangzhou government notice, 12 October 2025).

The metro's own ticketing guide, dated 6 January 2026, lists only UnionPay credit cards and Apple Pay for card tap and does not mention the cards in the notice. So look for the logo on the gate you use, and keep another way to pay.

Which foreign cards work: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, UnionPay?

The notice names these cards:

• Mastercard (万事达卡), American Express (美国运通卡), Visa (维萨卡) and JCB cards issued overseas.
• Mastercard and American Express cards issued in mainland China, if they support RMB transactions. The notice does not list mainland-issued Visa or JCB.

All of them must have contactless payment. The notice adds that all stations now cover five networks: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB and American Express. The English version on the Guangzhou Justice Bureau site (14 October 2025) says the same, and a Guangzhou government English page from 15 April 2026 repeats the five networks. None of these pages says whether a foreign card stored in Apple Pay or Google Pay works at the gate. The ticketing guide mentions Apple Pay only with UnionPay credit cards.

Do I have to tap in and out with the same card or phone?

The gate notices on the metro's ticketing page say one ticket for one person, and the same ticket to enter and exit. They are general rules for every ticket and do not mention bank cards. The notice for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB does not repeat them.

The detailed card rules are written for UnionPay credit cards and phone tap (ticketing guide, ticketing rules Article 7):

• The same physical card added to different phones counts as different tickets. The physical card and each phone are separate.
• Do not use different phones, or different cards in one phone, for the two taps of one trip. Do not stack cards at the gate.
• A phone with several cards pays with its default card unless you choose one.
• If the entry or exit record is incomplete, the system charges the lowest single-journey fare. The guide says one lowest fare per trip if you do not get the ticket updated at a station in time, collected by the bank the next day in principle. Article 7 says one lowest fare per record.
• Questions about a charge go to any station within 7 working days after it.

Our recommendation for a foreign card: use one card, on one device, for both taps, and keep other cards away from the gate. That is a precaution, not a quoted foreign-card rule.

Is there a foreign transaction fee or exchange-rate markup?

The card notice, the ticketing guide and the ticketing rules do not mention a foreign transaction fee, a currency or an exchange rate. That is not the same as "no fee". The fee and rate come from your own card issuer, so ask it before you travel.

These pages also do not say whether the charge is made at the exit gate or later, whether there is a daily cap, or whether a foreign-issued card pays the same fare as other riders. They say nothing about a different fare.

Can I buy a single-journey ticket with cash or a foreign card?

Single-journey tickets sell at automatic ticket machines and cloud ticket machines, and you can pay by cash or mobile payment. The guide also says WeChat, Alipay and digital RMB can be used to buy tickets at station equipment. A single-journey ticket is valid only from the station where you bought it and only on the day you bought it. It is for one person, one entry and one exit, and the gate keeps it when you leave. It can be refunded during operating hours on the day of purchase, at the purchase station, if unused and machine-readable.

The card notice, the ticketing guide and the ticketing rules do not say whether a foreign card can buy a single ticket or a day pass at a machine or counter. They do not say which payment methods the day-pass counters accept. For cash in China more generally, see is cash accepted in China.

Guangzhou metro one-day and three-day pass: price, rules and whether it is worth it

The ticketing guide and rules list only these two. Other rules:

• Buy at any station customer service centre or at an eMetro self-service card machine (the guide). The rules say any station.
• One person, one entry, one exit, no top-up.
• Not refundable once used. Unused passes can be refunded at any station.
• You cannot enter and exit at the same station. If you have a special case, talk to staff.
• The Chinese guide says day passes also work on Guangzhou's tram lines.

The clock starts at your first entry, so a one-day pass first used at 15:00 runs to 15:00 the next day. Is it worth it? The ¥20 pass beats paying per ride only if your fares add up to more than ¥20, which is more than ten rides at the ¥2 minimum. The ¥50 pass is ¥10 less than three one-day passes at ¥60.

How much does a Guangzhou metro ride cost, and do children ride free?

Fares go by distance: ¥2 up to 4 km, then ¥1 more for every 4 km from 4 to 12 km, every 6 km from 12 to 24 km and every 8 km beyond 24 km. The Zhujiang New Town APM line is a flat ¥2. A single-journey group of 30 or more gets 10% off (the Chinese text says 9折). The rules give this formula, not a station-to-station fare table.

Children 1.3 m or shorter, or below the legal school age, ride free with valid identification. Children taller than 1.3 m and at the legal school age need a valid ticket. The ticketing rules and the gate notices do not give the school age in years, mention passports or foreign children, or say how a foreign child shows height or age.

270 minutes, penalties and luggage limits

These come from the gate notices (page dated 5 July 2024) and the rules, and they are general rules for all tickets. The gate notices do not mention bank cards. The ticketing rules include UnionPay credit cards, but neither page explains how these rules apply to foreign-card taps.

• 270 minutes. You must exit within 270 minutes of entering. After that you pay the trip fare plus an overtime charge equal to the maximum single fare at the exit station, unless the delay is caused by Guangzhou Metro (gate notices; the exception is in the ticketing rules).
• No ticket or an invalid one. You pay the network's maximum single fare from the exit station. That includes several people using one ticket at the same time. If a ticket does not cover the fare, you top it up at exit.
• Tapped but did not go through. Staff at that station can handle it free within 20 minutes.
• Short non-travel needs. For crossing the street or using the toilet, staff can give free entry and exit.
• Luggage. Not allowed if over 30 kg, or if length plus width plus height is over 1.8 m.

Canton Fair card machines and currency exchange (event only)

These were arranged for the Canton Fair; the Guangzhou government pages do not say whether they remain available after the fair. For an earlier Canton Fair, the metro added 20 foreign-card POS machines at 14 stations and currency exchange at Guangzhou East Railway Station and Airport North (Guangzhou government). For the 139th fair, 15 April to 5 May 2026, a Guangzhou government page said POS terminals supporting international cards were at 11 stations, including Pazhou (琶洲) and Xingangdong (新港东) (metro guide). Exchange was at Xingangdong, Guangzhou East Railway Station and Airport North. That fair has ended. The pages do not say whether the machines stay after a fair, or what they sell.

Public transport QR code and other cities

The metro also takes its public transport QR code (广州地铁公共交通码). Open it in the Guangzhou Metro app, or search 广州地铁公共交通码 in a WeChat or Alipay mini program, and scan it at the gate. Use one code per person, and use the code from the same platform to enter and exit. The fare comes out of the linked payment account after you exit. Do not unlink the code before the trip is finished and paid. The ticketing guide and the ticketing rules do not say whether a visitor can open the code with a foreign card, and setting up WeChat or Alipay with a foreign card has its own guide.

For Beijing, see Beijing subway payment with foreign bank cards. For the rest of your trip, see the Guangzhou travel guide.