Public transport made easier for foreign visitors

Editor's note:

Shanghai has made intensive efforts to improve payment services for foreigners, ranging from cash, mobile payments to foreign card acceptance. Let's check out what the city has been doing to make it easier for foreigners visiting China.

Credit: Ti Gong

The Tencent Transit QR Code is now available for overseas visitors to use on public transport in the city.

Shanghai is the first city in the country to allow foreign visitors to link their bankcards with WeChat Pay for local bus and Metro rides.

Through collaboration with Shanghai Public Transport Card Co, Tencent allows riders easier access to local Metro and buses with an English language interface for a universal QR code.

Without buying a physical transport card, users can activate an offline QR code to take buses, Metro, Maglev and ferries and swipe at the stations even if network connections are unstable.

Overseas visitors were already able to link international credit or debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club to WeChat Pay and use QR codes for payment at a wide range of locations.

Among a series of efforts to facilitate payment services for inbound travelers, the offline and online payment network has been streamlined to allow easier payment for short-term visitors.

The National Immigration Administration said inbound and outbound trips made by foreign nationals surged 305 percent to 13 million in the first quarter this year.