Beijing Metro Now Accepts Mobile Payments via Qr Codes

This post comes courtesy of our content partners at TechNode.

Commuters using Beijing’s metro system will soon be able to utilize mobile payment platforms including WeChat Pay and Alipay to pay fares with the city’s new transit app. The service launched on Apr 29 and is available on all but the Xijiao line, TechNode's site is reporting.

The Easy Pass (易通行 yì tōngxíng) app will allow commuters to access the city’s metro system using QR codes.  It uses a “ride first, pay later” feature, in which fares are deducted only when leaving the station. Similar platforms have already been implemented in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Xi’an.

App users are also eligible to commute at the discounted rates of regular cardholders. After spending RMB 100 in a month,  subsequent trips are subject to a 20 percent discount. This increases to 50 percent after spending RMB 150. However, when spending reaches RMB 400, deductions no longer apply.

QR codes are one way of digitizing payments for commutes, but Apple takes a different approach. An iOS update released Mar 30 allows commuters in Beijing and Shanghai to pay fares using Apple Pay. The feature makes use of NFC technology in iPhones and Apple Watches, negating the need to open an app that generates a QR code.

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Shortly after Apple’s announcement, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun reacted by saying his company’s smartphones can be used can be used to pay for public transport in over 60 cities in China. He said nine Xiaomi phones are NFC-enabled.

However, NFC-enabled devices are expensive, while QR codes are ubiquitous, making them an accessible medium for payments.

Photo courtesy of TechNode