At 2:30 p.m. on June 15, at the Caoqiao Station on the Daxing Airport Express, Nick, a tourist from Canada, tapped his American Express card at the fare gate and it opened automatically. “ It is so convenient!” he said.

A foreign visitor showing the overseas bank card he used for taking the subway 

Yesterday, Beijing’s urban rail transit system introduced contactless tap-and-go access, ticket purchases, and fare difference payment services for overseas-issued JCB cards and both domestic and overseas American Express cards. This initiative aims to facilitate payment across the urban rail transit network, improve services for inbound tourists, and enhance Beijing’s role as an international consumption center.

A foreign tourist taps an American Express card to pass the fare gate

(Photo by Deng Wei, Beijing Daily) 

“This marks another major upgrade in Beijing’s transportation payment system for both domestic and international passengers, following the previous upgrade to support Mastercard and Visa cards in September 2024,” said Zhang Li, Chief Expert at Beijing Metro Network Administration Co., Ltd. With this advancement, Beijing’s urban rail transit system has become the world’s first to offer full-network metro access compatible with all five major international card brands: China UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express.

This upgrade covers 523 stations on all 29 operating lines (including two airport express lines, Xijiao Line, and Yizhuang T1 Line), as well as the Suburban Railway Line S2. It enables tap-and-go access at all gates in all stations during operating hours. Passengers can travel seamlessly by placing their cards close to the sensor, without the need to purchase a ticket in advance or download any apps.

At Caoqiao Station, the correspondent noticed that bank card icons on every fare gate now include the logos of JCB and American Express. In addition to passing through the gate, foreign passengers can also use their cards to purchase single-journey tickets for accompanying travelers at self-service ticket machines.

“We’ve upgraded the ticket machine software to achieve full compatibility with these additional cards without any hardware modifications,” said Zhang Li. Besides enabling contactless tap-and-go access for international cardholders, Beijing’s rail transit system is committed to delivering a seamless payment experience for international passengers in all scenarios.

When using single-journey tickets, foreign passengers who exceed the distance or time limits can use overseas-issued bank cards to pay the fare difference at self-service machines, reducing the need to seek help from subway staff and making travel easier.

Since Beijing introduced the tap-and-go service for overseas bank cards on September 13, 2024, a pioneering move in the Chinese mainland, its rail transit network has successfully processed transactions from cards issued in over 130 countries and regions and achieved a zero-complaint service record.