Beijing has further upgraded its rail transit services with innovative measures.

Building on the existing payment options such as UnionPay cards and QR code payments, all 27 operating lines of Beijing’s urban rail network (including two airport express lines, Xijiao Line, and Yizhuang T1 Line), as well as 490 stations across the network, now allow for contactless card swiping with overseas bank cards at all fare gates 24/7. In addition, the suburban Line S2 has also been equipped with this capacity.

At 00:00 on September 13, the contactless card swiping service for overseas Mastercards and Visa cards was officially launched, with JCB cards set to be included in the service list soon.

On the morning of September 13, a foreign passenger entered the Caoqiao subway station, and swiped his overseas bank card at a fare gate, which then opened without any delay. According to the station staff, if a foreign passenger travels with many friends, he/she can also buy tickets for them with his/her overseas bank card at the self-service machines. What’s more, Beijing plans to launch an international version of the Yitongxing application, which will support registration with overseas mobile phone numbers and foreign identity authentication, so that foreign passengers can take the subway by scanning QR codes at ease.

To make its payment services even more convenient, Beijing has established demonstration areas on payment services for overseas passengers as well as payment service consulting centers at both Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Since their establishment, these facilities have handled over 20,000 inquiries from foreign passengers. Meanwhile, about 18,000 key commercial establishments now accept foreign bank cards for payments. Facilities for foreign currency exchange are available at all four-star hotels and above, as well as major cultural and tourism sites.

Regarding public transport, the prepaid BEIJING PASS card is now available in Beijing, which can be used for taking over 1,700 bus lines, 28 rail lines, and more than 20,000 taxis. Over 1,000 POS machines have been installed at the high-speed railway stations and subway stations across the city, whose ticket windows fully support foreign bank card payment.

(Source: Beijing Daily App)