Choose the independent ride route
The metro QR is already active
Use that same QR credential to enter and exit. Do not switch to a bank card midway.
Beijing · eligible contactless card
Tap an eligible UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB or American Express credential at the gate. Keep the same physical card or wallet token for exit.
Shanghai · eligible contactless card
Tap an eligible UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB credential. For the international contactless cards named by Shanghai Metro, Type-B chips and cards without ODA function are excluded. Sufficient balance or credit and small-value password-free payment must also be enabled.
Shanghai · Metro Daduhui ride code
Shanghai documents registration in Metro Daduhui followed by binding a supported international-card payment channel, then scanning the ride code and paying after travel. This is not digital single-journey ticket issuance. Registration, any identity checks, card approval and ride-code activation are separate conditions. If activation or payment fails, keep the independent physical-ticket fallback rather than starting another app diagnosis at the gate.
Shanghai · digital-RMB hard wallet
A supported digital-RMB card or SIM hard wallet can tap at Shanghai Metro gates. Device availability and setup are separate prerequisites; this is not a claim that every phone or foreign SIM becomes a hard wallet.
Direct tap and Shanghai app routes are unavailable
Stop retrying. Go to a ticket machine or station service point and buy a single-journey ticket using a method accepted there.
Another mainland city
Use the national fallback: ticket office or self-service machine. Follow the live station signage for payment methods; direct overseas-card tap is not a nationwide promise.
The phone dies
Use a physical bank card or physical ticket for a new journey. If already inside, go to staff before attempting a different exit credential.
Gate-tap networks by city
Current municipal guidance describes these five networks across the urban rail network. Issuer, credential and transaction approval still control.
For the international contactless cards named by Shanghai Metro, Type-B chips and cards without ODA function are excluded. Ask the issuer if those features are unknown. Discover and Diners Club appear only in the separate service-centre ticket-purchase list.
A displayed code is not a completed journey
Not enrolled
No transport product exists yet. Choose activation or leave the app path.
Identity pending or failed
A linked shopping card does not prove transport enrollment. Use an independent ticket/card route.
QR ready
The code is displayed, but the journey is not complete until both gates accept the same credential.
Entry accepted
Keep the credential available. Do not change from physical card to its phone-wallet token.
In journey
Protect battery and retain the ticket or credential used at entry.
Exit accepted and fare settled
Only now is the gate journey complete.
Unresolved gate or fare
Do not force another credential. Ask station staff to inspect the entry record and settle the trip.
Seven worked station decisions
Beijing activation fails before the trip
- Decision
- Leave Alipay after one deliberate check. Try one eligible contactless credential at the gate; if rejected, buy a single-journey ticket.
Shanghai says identity verified but every linked card fails
- Decision
- Treat merchant payment and metro enrollment as separate products. Use eligible direct tap, then the station service point if needed.
The QR opens and entry works
- Decision
- Use the same QR to exit. Do not test another card halfway through a working journey.
Both QR and direct tap reject
- Decision
- Stop the loop and buy a single-journey ticket at the machine or service centre. Ask staff which live payment method works there.
A group is travelling together
- Decision
- Do not assume one QR or card can pass every rider. Obtain a separate accepted credential or ticket for each person unless staff confirms otherwise.
The phone dies after entry
- Decision
- Go to staff before the exit gate. Explain which credential entered; do not silently tap an unrelated card and create another unmatched trip.
The same failure occurs outside Beijing or Shanghai
- Decision
- Use the ticket-office or machine baseline. Do not export the two cities’ gate-card lists to another operator.
Show this when the app and gate route fail
我的支付宝地铁乘车码无法开通/无法过闸。请问我可以在哪里购买单程票，或使用境外银行卡？
My Alipay metro ride code will not activate / pass the gate. Where can I buy a single-journey ticket or use an overseas bank card?
Keep payment and identity details off this card. It asks for the station’s available route; it does not claim a card must be accepted.Seven recovery cards
Activation fails before departure
- First action
- Take one screenshot with passport, card and QR details redacted.
- Alternative
- Switch to the city’s independent card/ticket route.
- Escalate
- Troubleshoot later: Alipay English support is +86-571-26886000, 08:00–24:00 China time daily. The +86-571-95188 line provides security services only from 00:00–08:00; ordinary activation help is not available around the clock. Do not make the train wait for app diagnosis.
QR is rejected at entry
- First action
- Step away from the gate and stop repeated scans.
- Alternative
- Use eligible direct tap or buy a single-journey ticket.
- Escalate
- Ask station staff whether the product is active; a displayed code is not proof of acceptance.
Direct tap is rejected
- First action
- Try the same credential once with contactless enabled.
- Alternative
- Buy a ticket at the machine or service point.
- Escalate
- Contact the issuer/operator later; never cycle through cards while blocking the gate.
No working phone
- First action
- Use the prepared physical card or ticket route.
- Alternative
- Show the offline station card below.
- Escalate
- If already inside, ask staff to resolve the entry record before exiting.
More than one rider
- First action
- Give each traveller their own accepted credential or ticket.
- Alternative
- Buy companion single-journey tickets together.
- Escalate
- Ask staff about child or concession products; do not reuse one card by assumption.
Exit rejects or the credential changed
- First action
- Keep the failed ticket/card and go to staff.
- Alternative
- Explain the exact credential used at entry.
- Escalate
- Settle the unmatched journey with the operator; no zero-fee outcome is promised.
Another city
- First action
- Read the operator and station signs before choosing payment.
- Alternative
- Use the ticket office or self-service machine.
- Escalate
- Beijing or Shanghai network support does not establish acceptance in another city.
What still depends on your account, card or operator
The details below remain unverified here. Keep the independent ticket route available, and confirm any condition that affects your trip with the operator or station staff.
Whether a foreign-passport account can activate each city code while outside mainland China.
Whether iOS, Android, SIM country or app language changes enrollment.
The exact error when a merchant-working card fails metro enrollment.
Whether passport name formatting independently changes the result.
The exact status between enrollment and first gate use.
Whether a displayed QR works offline at entry.
The observed staff recovery when a phone dies inside the system.
Whether one direct-tap credential can ever admit multiple riders.
Child and concession handling at the two cities’ service points.
Evidence and fees requested for an unmatched entry or exit.
Whether a physical card and its phone-wallet token create a mismatch.
Whether airport express, Maglev and suburban products use identical rules.
Save one physical fallback before the first ride
Carry an eligible physical contactless card and enough RMB for an independent station purchase, screenshot this page, and keep the entry credential until exit. Keep this fallback ready so an app problem does not hold up the trip.
Common questions
Why won’t my Alipay metro code activate?
The reviewed sources do not prove one universal cause. Being outside mainland China is not a verified cause, and a card linked for merchant payments does not prove the separate Transport product will activate. Complete the ride with the independent city route and troubleshoot later.
Which overseas cards can tap the Beijing metro gate?
Current Beijing municipal guidance lists eligible UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB and American Express credentials across the urban rail network. The issuer, credential and transaction must still approve; use a machine or staffed ticket route if tap fails.
Which overseas cards can tap the Shanghai metro gate?
The current Shanghai gate list is UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB. For the international contactless cards named by Shanghai Metro, Type-B chips and cards without ODA function are excluded; enough balance or credit and small-value password-free payment must also be enabled. Ask the issuer if card features are unknown; Discover and Diners Club are listed only for service-centre ticket purchases.
Can I buy a metro ticket if Alipay and my card both fail?
Yes. The national guide gives ticket offices and self-service machines as the independent baseline. At the station, follow current signage or staff instructions for accepted payment methods rather than assuming every machine accepts every foreign card.
What other Shanghai Metro routes exist besides gate tap?
Shanghai documents Metro Daduhui registration and binding a supported international-card payment channel, followed by scanning the ride code and paying after travel. That is not digital single-journey ticket issuance. A separate route uses supported digital-RMB card or SIM hard wallets at gates. Neither route proves that every overseas phone, SIM, issuer or app registration will work; keep the staffed or machine physical-ticket fallback.
Can one card or QR code pass several riders?
Do not assume so. This guide does not verify whether the operator allows one credential for several riders. Prepare a separate accepted credential or single-journey ticket for each person unless station staff confirms another route.
What if my phone dies after I enter?
Go to station staff before trying to exit. Explain which QR or credential accepted the entry so they can inspect and resolve that journey. Tapping an unrelated card can create a second unmatched record.
Do these foreign-card gate rules apply across China?
No. The reviewed direct-tap lists apply only to Beijing and Shanghai metro systems. In another city, use the official national fallback—ticket office or self-service machine—and follow that operator’s live signs.
Sources and review boundary
General rules checked 22 August 2026; the Metro Daduhui ride-code/payment distinction was rechecked against Shanghai’s transport notice on 20 September 2026. Alipay consumer support numbers, English hours and the overnight security-only restriction were checked on 21 September 2026. Recheck the city operator and station signs before travel because supported networks and fare products can change. Sources checked 29 August 2026.
Working and Living in China guide — Alipay Transport and independent ticket routeState Council of China ↗Five overseas card networks across Beijing urban railBeijing Municipal Government ↗Foreign-card gate and ticket-machine replyBeijing 12345 / Beijing Subway ↗Metro guide — gate and service-centre card listsShanghai Municipal Government / Shanghai Metro ↗Network-wide contactless Tap to Ride rolloutShanghai Metro ↗Consumer support numbers, English hours and overnight security-only serviceAlipay ↗Before travelling: Confirm your city, station and payment credential before travelling. Activation causes and the account, device and journey details listed above remain unverified.