Beijing subway just got a major upgrade for tourists: Here’s what you need to know

Navigating Beijing’s sprawling subway network has just become easier for foreign tourists with the introduction of credit-card enabled “tap-and-go” enabled turnstiles.

From last Friday, overseas issued credit cards like MasterCard and Visa can be used to pay for subway trips in the capital, marking an increase in convenience for international visitors who previously had to grapple with vending machines to purchase tickets.

With this, Beijing becomes the first city in mainland China to allow credit cards, a move that required the upgrading of more than 20,000 facilities across 490 stations on 27 subway lines, according to a report from state news agency Xinhua.

The move highlights the capital’s determination to expand its “opening up” as an international exchange center, the report said, citing a local Communist Party official.

In recent months, China has increased the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for visa-free travel, with Norway, Poland and Australia among the latest to be added.

The number of inbound trips by foreigners to China stood at 17.3 million from January to July, according to the National Immigration Administration. Some 846,000 visitors obtained visas on arrival during the period, which represent a 183% increase from a year earlier.

“This breakthrough collaboration makes it so much easier for visitors to ride the Beijing urban rail transit as it eliminates many cumbersome steps, making inbound payments more convenient and seamless,” according to a statement by Dennis Chang, Mastercard’s executive vice president and division president, Greater China.