Metro and bus codes

In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu metros, overseas contactless Visa/Mastercard (and other schemes each city lists) can be tapped at marked open-loop gates with no Chinese app — city-by-city, not nationwide.

Shanghai needs a contactless card with small-amount offline approval; Type-B / no-ODA cards may fail. Shenzhen metro open-loop for foreign cards is a trial (from 30 Jun 2026). Check the city’s listed brands (often Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, UnionPay).

Still set up the Alipay or WeChat Transport QR after your wallet works — many buses and some metro lines do not take a foreign bank card tap. Keep a single-journey ticket or a little cash as backup.

Do not treat this as nationwide, and do not confuse a foreign bank-card tap with Alipay/WeChat ride codes.