Living in China

How to Take the Metro in China as a Foreigner (2026 Tickets & QR)

By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated: 2026-09-16

Quick answer

The metro is the easiest way to move around a Chinese city: signs, ticket machines and announcements are in English in every major network, trains run every few minutes, and a ride costs a few yuan. The only thing to sort out is the ticket, and there are four ways: a single-journey ticket from a machine or service window, a stored-value transport card, a QR code inside Alipay or WeChat, or the city's own metro app. On Shanghai's network the official instructions are simple - a single ticket is tapped on the reader to enter and inserted into the gate to exit, while the city app's ride function needs real-name authentication through Alipay or UnionPay before you choose third-party or bank-card payment. National rules oblige operators to post fares, first and last train times, line maps and transfer directions at stations, to handle your complaint and tell you the outcome, and they let staff inspect your ticket - so keep it until you leave the paid area. Expect a bag scanner at the entrance, and remember that 12328, the transport supervision hotline, is displayed on metro premises.

Why the metro is the default

Surface traffic in Chinese cities is heavy and parking is scarce, so the metro is what residents use and what visitors should use too. Networks are large, stations are clean, and the fare is distance-based - a short hop costs a couple of yuan and a cross-city ride on a modern network is a small multiple of that.

The national regulation behind all of it requires operators to publish the things a stranger needs: fares, first and last train times, the network map, entry and exit directions and transfer guidance at stations, plus arrival times, intervals and direction on the platforms. That is why you can land without any Chinese and still navigate - the information is not a courtesy, it is a requirement.

Four ways to pay, and which to choose

You do not have to solve this perfectly on day one - a single ticket works fine for your first ride while your payment apps are still settling.

Ticket	How it works	Best for
Single-journey ticket	Buy at a machine or the service window. Tap it on the reader to enter, insert it into the gate to exit.	One-off rides, and your first day before apps are set up
QR code in Alipay or WeChat	Open the transport or metro mini-program for the city, scan at the gate on entry and exit.	Most visitors, once the app is linked to a card
City metro app	Enable the ride function, complete real-name authentication, then pay by third-party payment or bank card.	Anyone staying a week or more, and transfers
Stored-value transport card	Buy and top up at a station; tap in and out.	Longer stays, buses plus metro

What actually happens at the gate

First the security check: your bag goes through a scanner at the entrance, and staff may ask you to take a bottle of liquid out for inspection. This is routine at every station, not a sign that anything is wrong.

Then the gate. With a single ticket, tap it on the reader - the round reader on top - to enter, and at the exit insert it into the slot on the gate. With a QR code, scan on entry and scan again on exit; both are needed, and missing the second scan leaves your ride unfinished in the system. Keep the ticket or the QR active until you are out of the paid area, because the rules allow staff to check your ticket and passengers must hold a valid one.

If the gate refuses to open on exit, the usual causes are a fare difference on a single ticket or a QR that failed to record the entry. Go to the service window rather than trying another gate.

The rules that work in your favour

Three provisions of the national regulation are worth knowing, because they are what you cite when something goes wrong.

Operators must post service information - fares, first and last train times, maps, directions, transfers - and must publish information about disruptions, closures, crowding controls or suspended service. The operator and the transport authority must each run a complaint channel, handle your complaint promptly and tell you the outcome. And while passengers must hold a valid ticket, the operator can only inspect it - the fare is set under national rules, not improvised at the gate.

One more detail from the same regulation: cities are required to promote the transport card and its interoperability across regions and modes. In practice that means your card or QR code may work on buses and metros across several cities, but not always - a single ticket from one city never transfers.

Things that catch visitors out

Rush hour is real: roughly 7:30-9:30 and 17:30-19:30 in the big cities, when trains arrive full and stations throttle entry. If your plan is flexible, shift it.

Last trains are earlier than you expect. They are posted at stations and in the apps because the rules require it - check before a late dinner, not after.

Interchanges are long walks. A transfer at a major hub can be ten minutes of corridors, so build that into your timing rather than assuming the doors are opposite each other.

Your home city's QR code will not work here. Use the city's own mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat, or the metro app, and finish the real-name step before you are standing at the gate with a queue behind you.

Single tickets do not come with transfer discounts. On Shanghai's network, the official ticket notes are explicit that single tickets and non-Shanghai cards or QR codes get no virtual-transfer treatment - if you are making several rides, a card or a QR code is the better buy.

Common questions

Is the metro signed in English?

In every major network, yes - stations, machines, line maps and announcements. The national rules require operators to publish line maps, directions, transfers and fare information at stations, which is why it works for visitors.

Can I buy a ticket with a foreign card?

Machines take cash and, in many cities, QR payments; the service window is the safe fallback. The most reliable combination for a visitor is a QR code inside Alipay or WeChat, or the city app's ride function, which supports third-party and bank-card payment.

How does a single ticket work?

On the Shanghai network the official instructions are: place the ticket on the reader to enter, and insert it into the gate to exit. Buy it from a machine or the service window, and keep it until you are out of the station.

What do I do with my bag?

Put it through the security scanner at the station entrance. It is mandatory at every station and quick; staff may ask about liquids.

What if the gate will not let me out?

Go to the service window. The usual reasons are a fare difference on a single ticket or an entry that a QR code did not record.

Who do I complain to?

Start with station staff and the operator's own complaint channel - the rules require them to handle it and report back. 12328, the national transport service supervision hotline, is displayed on metro premises and takes complaints about urban passenger transport.

Sources

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