Shenzhen Metro has upgraded its fare payment system, allowing passengers to tap and go with major international bank cards across the entire network.
According to Shenzhen Metro, starting September 10, all gate channels at its 17 metro lines and 432 stations now support contactless payments using five major international card schemes: Visa, Mastercard, China UnionPay, American Express, and JCB. The service is said to cover bank cards issued across more than 200 countries and regions.
To use the feature, passengers need a bank card with contactless capability and small-value "no PIN" payments enabled, or they can add the card to a mobile wallet and tap their phone at the gate. The system will process the payment in the background, including currency conversion and fare deduction.
The upgrade also extends beyond entry gates. Shenzhen Metro said international cards can now be used at customer service centers and self-service ticketing machines for tasks such as buying tickets, paying fare adjustments, purchasing child tickets, and handling ticketing exceptions. Validators for the Line 11 business-class carriage have also been upgraded to accept international card payments.
To improve usability for visitors, gate machines have been updated with bilingual interfaces, voice prompts, and on-screen animations showing payment status. Shenzhen Metro added that bilingual operating guides have been placed at 30 key stations, including Luohu, Airport, and Gangxia North, with staff available on site to assist passengers.
Shenzhen Metro noted that the international-card payment service began a trial run on June 30 this year. During the pilot period, the network recorded an average of 2,205 overseas-card transactions per day, with a single-day high of 7,369, and it has cumulatively served more than 150,000 passenger uses.
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