Guangzhou Metro: Pay With Your Visa or Mastercard

Which foreign cards work at the gates?

Four foreign card networks work. A Guangzhou Daily report on the city government portal says Guangzhou Metro has accepted foreign bank cards for “tap to enter” (拍卡过闸) since October 12, 2025. Xinhua reported the same on October 13, 2025. They list:

• Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards issued outside mainland China;
• Mastercard and American Express cards issued in mainland China, if they support RMB;
• UnionPay, which stations accepted before.

Every card must be contactless. You need no ticket and no app. The report says gates marked with a card network logo take cards “at all stations”. Hold the card near the reader on the gate.

What the official sources do not say

The two reports do not give the fare, any foreign-card fee, a daily limit, or whether Apple Pay or Google Pay works. Neither mentions Alipay or WeChat QR codes. Third-party guides say Alipay and WeChat mini-programs sell QR tickets, but we could not confirm this on the official site. Your bank may charge a foreign-transaction fee, so ask it before you travel.

We found no official statement on whether to use the same card to tap out. Use the same card on exit as on entry.

How do I ride step by step?

1. Find a gate with a card logo above the reader.
2. Tap your physical contactless card. The gate opens.
3. Follow the English signs to your line.
4. Tap the same card at the exit gate. The fare should be charged to the card (the official sources do not describe exit).

If your card is not contactless, or the gate rejects it, buy a single-journey ticket at a machine. Third-party guides say machines take cash and mobile payment.

What does a metro ride cost?

Trips start at ¥2 and rise with distance. Trip.com’s guide of September 21, 2026 gives this fare table. We could not open the official one, so check the fare shown at the gate.

The city plans to finish a review of how metro fares are set, with a public hearing, by December 2026, so prices may move.

Day passes

Trip.com lists a one-day pass at ¥20, valid for 24 hours from activation (the electronic pass, per the city portal), and a three-day pass at ¥50, valid for 72 hours. Both cover all metro lines but not trams or intercity rail. It says electronic passes are sold in the official app and paper passes at ticket machines, service centres and special counters at Guangzhou South, Guangzhou East and Pazhou stations. It does not say whether you need a passport. A card tap needs no pass, so buy one only if you plan many rides.

Transit card

The Yang Cheng Tong card (羊城通) works on metro, buses and ferries. Trip.com gives a refundable deposit of ¥20.

When does the metro run?

Trip.com says most lines run from about 06:00 to 23:30, and that the official app has current times. It lists the Line 3 main line from Haibang to Tianhe Coach Terminal as 06:00 to 22:55 in one direction and 06:16 to 00:13 in the other. Last trains differ by line and direction. Check the Guangzhou Metro app (广州地铁) before a late trip. Its listing is in Chinese.

When is the metro crowded?

Trip.com advises avoiding weekdays 07:30 to 09:30 and 17:30 to 19:30. Line 3 is the worst. One Reddit commenter wrote: “Other than Line 3, which people jokingly call the ‘death line,’ most lines are pretty manageable” (r/guangzhou, July 30, 2026). Another says all stations have English signs and English announcements (March 16, 2025). That is a traveller’s view, not an official statement.

Which exit should I use?

Big stations have many exits, and the wrong one can mean a 10-minute walk. Amap shows the exit letter. A traveller calls it the way to know “which exit to take out of a metro station” (r/guangzhou, September 11, 2025). For each place in our guides, we give the exit where we could verify it. Show a driver your destination in Chinese with the Show your driver cards.

Where does the metro go for visitors?

• Baiyun Airport: Line 3 runs to Airport North station for Terminal 2. Terminal 3 needs a ¥2 bus from Gaozeng. See Baiyun Airport to the city and the T2 and T3 guide.
• Trains: Guangzhou South Railway Station is on the metro. See the station guide.