You can have a working Alipay account and still be unable to activate a particular city's transport code. You can also ride a city's metro with a foreign card while needing another method for its buses. This guide separates those situations and offers a practical first-ride workflow. The city comparisons reflect published operator and government guidance, not live transactions performed by our editorial desk.
Before you start
- The actual city and operator for the journey; a nearby suburban service may use different rules.
- A locally accepted payment credential, activated before you reach the gate or board the bus.
- Access to mobile data when using an app, plus a different backup such as a physical ticket or locally accepted cash.
- The destination station or bus-stop name in Chinese, the route direction and the last-mile walk.
- Separate arrangements for companions, children or concession travel; do not assume one adult card covers everyone.
Four cities, different payment scopes
On a small screen, scroll the comparison sideways.
| City | Published rail bank-card option | What to check for buses |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Eligible cards on the named networks in the published urban-rail scope. Official rail guidance. | Do not infer every bus accepts the same foreign bank card. Confirm the route’s supported local card/code or cash arrangement. |
| Shanghai | Eligible contactless cards, with chip and no-PIN conditions. Official guidance. | A rail-network card-tap announcement does not establish direct foreign-card support on every bus. Confirm the local code/card or route-specific alternative. |
| Guangzhou | Use the gates bearing the accepted card-network logos. Published city guidance. | Metro support and a bus reader’s acceptance are separate. Check Yang Cheng Tong, the supported local code or the carrier’s cash arrangement. |
| Chengdu | City guidance includes eligible bank-card tap on metro, tram and city buses. Visitor portal. | Check the actual carrier, particularly outlying services. Jianyang buses use a separate code in the cited code guide. |
This is a source-based comparison, not a live card test. Card eligibility, account checks and local services vary. Keep a staffed ticket or other genuinely usable backup.
Step by step
- 01
Check the city before choosing an app
Use the city comparison below and the station's current signs. Decide whether you need a bank-card tap, a local transport QR, a stored-value transit card or a single ticket. You do not need to install every city's standalone app.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYou have one documented primary payment route and know where to obtain a ticket if it fails.
- 02
Prepare the actual transport credential
For a QR journey, select the city in the app's Transport area and activate the specific bus or metro product offered. Follow identity, payment and authorisation prompts. The ordinary merchant Pay screen is not a substitute for a generated transport code.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGThe appropriate local transit product is active, or you have chosen another supported method.
- 03
Check direction and enter
At a metro, complete any security check and use a reader that supports your credential. For card tap, use the eligible card or device itself. For a bus, verify the route number and the sequence of stops before boarding on the indicated side of the road.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGThe gate or reader confirms acceptance and you are travelling in the intended direction.
- 04
Keep the entry method available
Retain the single ticket and the same card, device or app product throughout a metro trip. A physical bank card and a phone wallet containing that card can be treated as different credentials; do not casually switch between them halfway through.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYou can present the original entry credential again at the exit or service centre.
- 05
Follow the bus's local boarding and exit instructions
Doors and tap-off requirements depend on the route. Have the code, transit card or exact cash ready, ask if uncertain, and follow onboard signs. Do not assume a rule from another Chinese city also applies here.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYou know whether another scan is required when leaving this particular bus.
- 06
Finish the journey and resolve any incomplete record
Use the same metro credential at exit. If the gate remains closed or the app reports an incomplete journey, keep the original credential and ask station staff for help. On a bus, complete any required exit scan and retain the journey record if a charge needs correction.
CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGThe journey is closed and you can use the same credential normally on the next trip.
If it does not work
Alipay works in shops but will not activate the transport code
Check the selected city and product, its identity requirements and the payment methods offered. Merchant acceptance and transit-product activation are separate.
Another way forward: At a metro, use a locally supported eligible card or buy a single ticket through station staff. For a bus, check an accepted physical card or cash option before boarding.
The card reader declines my bank card
Check the reader's logos, card eligibility, contactless/no-PIN setting and available credit. An issuer block can require bank assistance.
Another way forward: Use a station ticket or another already working local credential. A second app using the same declined funding card may not be an independent backup.
The exit gate will not open
Keep the original entry card/device/ticket/code. Ask the service centre to inspect the journey and settle any required correction; do not begin another app journey to escape the first.
Another way forward: Follow the staffed process. Do not change credentials or pass through a gate behind another passenger.
My phone loses power or data
Keep the destination and accommodation address available on paper or another device. Tell staff which transport product you used if an existing journey needs resolving.
Another way forward: Use a physical ticket/card for a later journey, accepted exact bus fare, or a suitable taxi/walk. Plan the last service separately for late-night travel.
I do not know whether to scan when getting off the bus
Read the onboard instructions or ask the driver before leaving. Follow the specific route rather than a rule remembered from another city.
Another way forward: If a record remains incomplete, use that operator or app's correction process and preserve the trip details.
Words that help
Show the Chinese text when speaking is difficult. Copying happens on your device.
这辆车到这里吗？
Does this bus go here?
下车时还需要刷卡吗？
Do I need to tap my card again when getting off?
我的乘车码打不开，可以怎么买票？
My transport code will not open. How can I buy a ticket?
我用这张卡进站，现在出不了站。
I entered with this card and now cannot exit.
Four things that can look like the same payment system
A merchant-payment code is for buying from a business. A transport QR identifies a journey within a local fare system. A stored-value transit card holds or accesses transport value. A bank-card tap uses an eligible card directly at a supported reader. Linking a foreign card to a wallet establishes none of the other services automatically.
If a screen requests transport activation, identify the city and product before granting permission. Shanghai's Alipay guide explicitly distinguishes city-specific virtual transport cards. An app may expose several local products with similar names. Keep the one that successfully recorded your entry open for the rest of that journey.
Beijing: urban rail card tapping has a defined scope
Beijing's published urban-rail notice documents UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB and American Express payment across its specified rail network, including the airport express lines. Check the logos and conditions on the current reader. This can avoid a transport-code setup when you have an eligible card.
Keep bus payment separate. That rail notice does not establish foreign-card tapping on every Beijing bus. Use the local bus code, an accepted transit card or the route's cash arrangement. If your journey depends on a particular bus, confirm its payment and whether you must scan again when leaving.
Shanghai: direct card tap and a station ticket are different routes
Shanghai Metro's network notice, effective 28 June 2025, covers eligible contactless UnionPay chip, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards. It excludes Type-B chips and cards without ODA functionality, and requires small-amount password-free payment and available funds or credit. If your card fails, ask staff rather than assuming the whole system rejects foreign cards.
The city's metro guide also documents foreign-card purchases at station service centres and local app or transport-card options. Paying a counter for a ticket is different from tapping the card through a gate. For buses, use a confirmed local transport code/card or the route's cash method; a broad headline about foreign-card payments is insufficient evidence that every bus reader accepts direct foreign-card tap.
Guangzhou: look for the card-network logo
The Guangzhou government notice documents overseas Mastercard, American Express, Visa and JCB contactless use from 12 October 2025 at metro gates marked with the relevant networks. UnionPay is supported separately. Read the actual gate markings; a statement that all stations participate does not mean every reader is identical.
Guangzhou's ticket instructions describe QR entry through local channels and restrictions following unpaid fares or incomplete records. They do not independently guarantee that every overseas card funds every mini-program. If your code is blocked, resolve the existing record in its original channel. Treat local bus-card and bus-code acceptance as a separate check.
Chengdu: published card support also includes buses and trams
GoChengdu's visitor guidance documents contactless UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard and American Express use on metro, trams and buses, with sufficient credit and small-amount password-free payment enabled. This is an explicit published bus provision, unlike assuming bus support from a metro announcement.
A public-service guide for international users also describes the Chengdu Transport Code in Alipay and makes a specific exception for Jianyang buses, which use a different code. Check an outlying carrier before travelling. Neither a city name nor a familiar app logo proves every suburban service has the same acceptance.
Common questions
Can I use the ordinary Alipay payment code at the metro gate?
Use the activated local transport code required by that fare system. The merchant-payment screen is a different service and does not establish a transport journey.
Can I use a phone wallet to enter and the physical card to exit?
Keep the exact same credential for the journey. A device token and the underlying physical card can be treated separately, even when they refer to the same bank account.
Does metro foreign-card support mean the city buses support it too?
No. Check a source for the actual bus network. The four-city sections preserve that distinction and identify an explicit published bus provision for Chengdu.
Sources & checking notes
- Beijing Government — five-network urban-rail card support
- Shanghai Metro / Government — whole-network contactless conditions
- Guangzhou Government — marked-gate foreign-card support
- GoChengdu — foreign-card metro, tram and bus guidance
- Shanghai Government — Alipay and city transport products
- Shanghai Government — metro ticket and payment alternatives
- Guangzhou Government — QR ticket and incomplete-journey instructions
- ChinaJob public-service guide — international users' Chengdu transport code
Sources checked on 6 November 2026. Workflows, routes and troubleshooting suggestions are editorial guidance. Fees, eligibility, reservations and local services can change; follow the official links before relying on a rule.
Original synthesis of public information and editorial planning advice. We have not performed a live account, payment or on-site test of every workflow. This guide does not claim a firsthand visit or professional accreditation.