Riding China's Subways: QR Codes, Fares, and Apple Pay Express Transit

乘车码: your phone is your ticket

1. In Alipay: search 乘车码, select your city (e.g., 上海地铁乘车码), and authorize once. A QR code generates for each ride.
2. In WeChat: Me → Pay and Services → Travel/出行服务 → 乘车码, same one-time city setup.
3. At the gate: open the code before the turnstile, scan to enter, scan again to exit. The fare deducts automatically from Alipay/WeChat Pay.
4. One city, one code. 乘车码 is city-specific — landing in a new city means enabling that city's code once (takes 30 seconds).

Apple Pay Express Transit

• iPhone users can add a transit card in Wallet → Transit Card for supported cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and more).
• Enable Express Transit for that card: then you tap in and out with the phone locked — no Face ID, no app open. It also works for 5 hours after the battery dies (power reserve).
• This is the fastest option at rush hour — no QR-code fumbling at the gate.

Fare norms

• Distance-based: most cities start at ¥2–4 for the first few kilometers, capping around ¥8–10 for cross-city rides. Beijing starts ¥3, Shanghai ¥3, Guangzhou ¥2.
• No day passes for tourists in most cities — the QR code already gives the best per-ride price.
• Discounts: many cities discount the 2nd+ ride or monthly cumulative spending automatically via the transit code.

Etiquette that matters

• Queue at the side markings. Let passengers exit first — the floor arrows aren't decoration.
• No eating strong-smelling food. Hot dry noodles at 8am will get you stared at; it's technically against rules in several cities.
• Security checks are normal. Bags go through X-ray at every station entrance; water bottles get a sip test or scanner. It's routine, not suspicion.
• Priority seats (爱心专座) are genuinely reserved — don't sit there during rush hour.

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