How to Use the Beijing Subway: Tap a Bank Card or Buy a Ticket

Tap an eligible contactless bank card on the Beijing Subway gate when you enter, then tap the same card when you leave. One card covers one rider. If your card is declined, buy a single-journey ticket from the English-language machine or the station counter. Ordinary city fares start at ¥3.

Before going underground, save your destination’s station name in Chinese, the line number, and the exit nearest your address. Carry one physical contactless card and a few small yuan notes so you have a way through the gate even if your phone is out of power.

1. Choose how to pay before you reach the gate

• One rider with a contactless card: Go directly to the gates. Beijing’s urban rail network supports eligible cards from Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB and American Express. Check for the contactless symbol on your card and the corresponding network at the gate.
• Two adults sharing one bank card: Buy separate single-journey tickets before you enter. If you have two eligible cards, each person can use their own card for both taps.
• Cash or a card that keeps failing: Buy a physical ticket. Have small notes or coins to hand and use the staffed counter if a machine rejects your payment.

The city’s contactless rollout notice includes both airport express lines, which have their own fares. For ordinary subway lines, Beijing Subway fare rules set the first 6 km at ¥3, up to 12 km at ¥4, up to 22 km at ¥5, and up to 32 km at ¥6. After 32 km, each additional 20 km adds ¥1. The price shown on the ticket machine is the useful number for your specific ride.

2. Tap the same bank card at entry and exit

1. Follow the green entry arrow. Take one card out of your wallet. Use the contactless reader marked for cards on the gate at your right.
2. Hold the card flat near the reader. Move through once the screen accepts it and the barrier opens. Put the card in an easy-to-reach pocket for the exit.
3. Tap that exact card at your destination. Your fare is determined when you tap out. If you entered with a compatible card on a phone or watch, use that same device and card to exit. A physical copy of the same bank card has a different credential from its mobile-wallet version.

For your first ride, a physical card keeps things simple. If you use a phone or watch, make sure NFC is enabled, the correct card is selected and the device has enough power for both taps.

3. Buy and use a single-journey ticket

1. Find the ticket machine before the gates. Look for 自助售票机 or 自动售票机. Select English.
2. Choose your destination line and station. Select a ticket for each person riding. If the station has several lines, check the Chinese name against your route before you pay.
3. Pay with a method shown on the machine. Check the cash or card symbols first. Pick up all the tickets and any change before you leave the machine.
4. Tap the ticket to enter. Keep it for the whole ride. At your destination, insert it into the exit gate’s ticket slot. The gate keeps the ticket.

If you need the counter, show the staff this with the station name on your phone: 您好，我想买一张到这个站的单程票。 (“Hi, I’d like a one-way ticket to this station.”) The city’s ticket-machine guide shows where to switch to English.

4. Board in the right direction and pick your exit

After entering, follow your line number and check the next station on the platform sign. For example, when going from Dongzhimen (东直门) to Qianmen (前门) on Line 2, take the train whose next stop is Dongsishitiao (东四十条). On a loop line the same destination can appear in both directions, so the next stop tells you which platform is quicker.

At a normal subway transfer, follow 换乘 signs for your next line and stay inside the paid area. At the final station, follow 出口 and look for your exit letter on the neighborhood map. If you need a lift, look for an elevator symbol or ask the station team before leaving the paid area. A different exit can put you on the far side of a large road.

5. Fix a rejected tap without losing your entry record

• Stopped before entry: Step aside, take the card out of your wallet, check for the card network logo and try the marked reader once. If the card still fails, buy a single ticket and start your ride with that.
• Stopped at the exit: Check you have the exact card, phone or watch you used to enter. If the gate still rejects it or the device is dead, go to the staffed service or fare-adjustment window marked 补票. Show the entry station on your map and tell staff roughly when you came in.
• Traveling with a small child: The operator’s rule lets children up to and including 1.3 m ride free with a fare-paying adult. For one eligible child, let the child go through just ahead of the adult on the adult’s tap. If one adult is accompanying multiple eligible children, ask station staff to walk you through the gate.

To ask for help at the exit, show 我在这个站刷卡进站，现在出不去。 (“I tapped in at this station and now I can’t get out.”) Keep the card or device you entered with handy so the station team can identify the original tap.