Beijingers Can Now Pay for the Subway Using Their Phones

Starting today, the entire Beijing subway system will accept electronic payment through commuters’ smartphones. That’s right – no more metro cards!

The new payment system started being tested on the Fangshan Line back in June. But it appears that the new smart system was a success, because as of today (Aug 14) it was officially rolled out on all lines, China Daily reports.

Beijingers no longer have to stand in line to physically top up their subway cards. Instead, smartphone users can simply download an app to get the "mobile phone one-card-pass" service, recharge in real time and swipe their phones to enter the subway. Another perk is that users do not need to put down a deposit for electronic metro cards.

READ MORE: Beijing Subway Cards Can Now be Recharged via Alipay and WeChat Pay

At this point 160 mobile phone brands are compatible with the new system. But there is one major catch – iPhones still don’t work the system. Sorry iPhone users… you won’t be able to join in on the fun.

So far the electronic metro cards appear to be popular among Beijingers. Over 200,000 e-cards were sold during a single trial month and roughly 200,000 mobile payments are made on a daily basis.