The national version of Octopus (China T-Union Card) is finally released. The first version of the China T-Union Card is available for sale from March 26, priced at HK$88 with no deposit. As a matter of fact, Guangdong and Hong Kong have launched a number of cross-boundary transportation cards, including physical cards such as Shenzhen-Hong Kong One Card and Lingnan Pass, etc. In addition, virtual transportation cards opened through AlipayHK and Apple Pay, etc. are also convenient and have a wide coverage. DotDotNews has compiled a list of cross-boundary transportation payment methods, and there is always one that suits you best!
Octopus - China T-Union Card
Octopus' newly introduced China T-Union Card is a physical card priced at HK$88 per card, with no deposit, and is available at all Circle K convenience stores and designated MTR Customer Service Centers, making it easy for Hong Kong people to purchase. The card has a maximum stored value of HK$3,000, which is in line with that of a regular transportation card. If the card is used to travel northward, Hong Kong people can use it for public transportation in 336 cities in the Mainland. Importantly, users need to look out for the "China T-Union" logo to use the card, and it does not support retail payment in the Mainland at present.
In terms of top-up, as with a standard Octopus card, users who wish to top up in Hong Kong dollars can add value to the card through cash reloading points such as the Octopus App, Automatic Add Value Service (AAVS), public transportation facilities, retail merchants, etc. In the Mainland, users can add value to the card at the Shenzhen Unionpay EPS Kiosk, or through the Octopus App.
The most important feature of the All Access Card is that transportation spending in the Mainland will be settled directly in Hong Kong dollars, and the value-added system will automatically update the card's exchange rate record according to the latest exchange rate of the day.
Shenzhen-Hong Kong One Card
The Shenzhen-Hong Kong One Card is also a physical card, jointly launched by Octopus and Shenzhen Tong. It can be regarded as a touchless IC card that combines the functions of Shenzhen Tong and Octopus and is priced at RMB68 (approximately HK$74) with no deposit required. Cardholders can take public transportation in Hong Kong and more than 300 cities in the Mainland, and can use the card for retail payment in Hong Kong.
However, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong One Card is only available at designated locations in Shenzhen. Hong Kong residents can purchase the card at Shenzhen Tong APP, Shenzhen Tong Customer Service Points, Shenzhen Tong self-operated Customer Service Points and Customer Service Centers of MTR stations at the boundary control points.
The card adopts the "one card, two wallets" approach, with both the "Shenzhen Tong e-purse" and "Octopus e-purse", which require reloading in RMB and HKD respectively. To top up the value of their RMB wallets, Hong Kong residents need to go north to Shenzhen Tong Customer Service Centers, Shenzhen Tong Smart Micro Customer Service Terminals, Shenzhen Metro Customer Service Centers, Shenzhen Tong Self-service Customer Service Terminals, and so on; To reload the HKD wallet, users can add value on-site in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong, at Octopus customer service counters and convenience stores in Hong Kong, as well as at UnionPay EPS kiosks at Shenzhen Metro stations on Lines 1, 2 and 5, and at Futian Checkpoint station on Line 4. However, through the Octopus App and Shenzhen Tong App, cardholders can add value to their One-Card regardless of where they are.
Lingnan Pass
"Lingnan Pass-Octopus" is different from "Octopus-Lingnan Pass" in that the former was introduced by Guangzhou on April 14 last year, while the latter was introduced by Octopus Company as early as 2012.
"Lingnan Pass-Octopus" is priced at RMB70 (approximately HK$77) and also adopts the "one card, two wallets" approach. Similarly, "Lingnan Pass-Macau Pass" and "Lingnan Pass-One Pass for Guangdong and Singapore" in the same series can be used in Macau and Singapore respectively, and the RMB wallet and the foreign currency wallet in the card are independent of each other.
"Lingnan Pass-Octopus" can be used on buses and the MTR in over 300 cities in Hong Kong and the Mainland. It is important to note that Hong Kong residents who wish to add value to their RMB wallets in their "Lingnan Pass-Octopus" online need to open a Mainland version of Alipay, WeChat Pay or a bank account before they can add value to their RMB wallets via WeChat applets and Yang Cheng Tong APP.
As for the "Octopus-Lingnan Pass", it was priced at $98 at the time, with no deposit, and covered about 20 cities in Guangdong Province. The relevant page of the "Octopus-Lingnan Pass" on the Octopus website has now been removed.
Virtual Transportation Card
Nowadays, e-purse is convenient and powerful. AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, UnionPay, Apple Pay, etc. can be opened with virtual transportation cards, which can be used to travel around the country and even major cities around the world without any obstacles.
For example, AlipayHK has covered all public transportation in Guangzhou, and you can scan the code to take a ride on metro buses in Shenzhen, buses in Foshan and Zhongshan, and in Shanghai; Apple Pay has also been linked to more than 30 major cities in the Mainland, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as common application scenarios in Hong Kong and Macao for Hong Kong residents. It is also extremely easy to add value; just bind a bank card and add value anytime, anyplace.
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