On September 12, at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, the latest upgrades (version 2.0) to the Travel Pass and the CUBe Card were unveiled, offering lighter and smarter solutions for inbound visitors' needs upon arrival in Beijing — in terms of payment, communication, transportation, shopping and tax refunds.

The upgraded Travel Pass no longer requires a terminal — users can simply download the app version on their phones.

The original Travel Pass was a portable terminal about the size of a power bank, with a built-in display, camera, and slots for a SIM card and a bank card, offering Wi-Fi access, scan-to-pay, voice interpretation services and more.

The biggest change in version 2.0 is that it no longer needs a portable terminal. Mainstream apps such as Didi and JD have been added to the Travel Pass, covering high-frequency scenarios like transportation and online shopping. The Yunzhi Shouji (云智手机, an AI-native cloud app) in the Travel Pass has been expanded to integrate payment services, communication, navigation, translation, ride-hailing, shopping and more. At the same time, an integrated model combining online shopping with departure tax refund and ride-hailing services — first of its kind in China — has also been adopted by Travel Pass, enabling a fully online, paperless process for departure tax refunds.

Leveraging the native 5G messaging portal, the upgraded CUBe Card now has a 5G messaging application for inbound foreign visitors.

The CUBe Card uses a SIM card as its carrier: every user can simply insert the card to make calls, surf the Internet, pay with e-CNY, and tap in and out of Beijing's buses and subway stations. It is ready for use after topping up, and "tap-to-pay" works even when the phone has no network or power. Its version 2.0 integrates 5G messaging and AI agents, allowing users to access one-stop AI services without downloading any additional app.

Through its SMS dialogue, travelers can

1. Check their e-CNY wallet balance, transaction records, and businesses concerned;

2. Look up departure tax refund guidelines, navigate to businesses that offer the refund services, view electronic refund forms and processing progress;

3. Ask about weather, transport and travel planning;

4. Have related images (with text) and menus translated.

The maximum spending amounts of the two products have also been raised. The cumulative cap of Travel Pass has been raised to 14,000 yuan, with the previous single-payment cap of 1,000 yuan lifted; the e-CNY quota of CUBe Card supports a one-time top-up of 5,000 yuan, and allows the subsequent top-ups to bring the cumulative balance up to 10,000 yuan.

The Travel Pass and the CUBe Card were first initiated and issued nationwide by Beijing in January 2025. Both products integrate payment, communication, transport, translation and mapping functions, among others. After more than a year in operation, they have successfully served inbound visitors from over 120 countries and regions.

(Source: Beijing Daily App)