Starting Saturday, foreign tourists can use major international bank cards they hold to pass through subway gates at all stations of the Shanghai Metro with a simple tap without bothering to queue at ticket machines or counters.

The newly enabled payment method allows passengers to use Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and UnionPay cards as well as China's digital currency "hard wallet" (cards, wearables, etc.) to enter the metro system, which further facilitates travel for inbound passengers arriving in 

Shanghai as it improves the convenience of payment in the metro system.
At the Yuyuan Station, one of Shanghai's busiest tourist hubs, foreign travelers were seen swiping their cards to board the subway trains.
The new payment alternative marks a major improvement over previous methods, as it can save time and reduce language barriers for these travelers. In the past, international travelers had to pay cash for tickets or queue at manned counters to buy tickets with their foreign cards via point-of-sale (POS) terminals.

"It's very good, because, for us, that is coming from Europe, and like this, we use a lot of visas. So it's immediate. And otherwise we have difficulties to find the tickets and so on. So, very good," said Daniel, an Italian business traveler.

The expansion of the payment system involves upgrading the software compatibility of existing gate hardware while also developing ticketing data systems.

"The payment system upgrading this time requires integration of multiple card networks. To ensure that all cards from different networks can work seamlessly on a same device requires significant integrated development and coordination," said Peng Cheng, assistant general manager of China UnionPay Shanghai Branch.