The Guangzhou Metro system now accepts contactless payments from all major international card networks in an effort to make Guangdong province’s largest city easier for foreign visitors to navigate, Xinhua reports.
Launched on Sunday, it arrived in time for the 138th Canton Fair – an event set to draw large numbers of international business travellers to the city from 15 October.
The update also aligns with broader national efforts to boost tourism through offering citizens of an increasing number of countries visa-free access to mainland China.
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The new service works for eligible overseas-issued Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards, along with domestically issued Mastercard and American Express cards with contactless payment and yuan transaction capabilities. The metro system was already accepting contactless payments with cards issued by UnionPay.
Each of the city’s metro stations has been equipped with designated fare gates for contactless payments, which means passengers no longer need to rely on tickets or the system’s app.
The number of foreigners visiting China increased by 30.2 percent year-on-year across the first six months of 2025, with visa-free entries up 53.9 percent. Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport, meanwhile, saw a 22.9 percent increase in foreign travellers and a 16.1 percent rise in international flights in the first half of the year when compared with the same period in 2024.
