Visa has announced that its Tap to Ride contactless payment service is now available on the Guangzhou Metro, offering inbound visitors to China a more convenient way to pay for travel.
Guangzhou is the second city in the Greater Bay Area, after Hong Kong, to introduce the service, further improving cross-border transport convenience in the region.
Travellers with Visa chip cards can now tap their cards directly at entry and exit gates marked with the Visa contactless symbol to access Guangzhou Metro stations.
The feature provides a seamless payment option without the need to purchase separate metro tickets.
Visa’s Tap to Ride is currently available in over 870 cities worldwide and has been rolled out across several major Chinese cities.
In Beijing, it operates on 29 lines and 523 stations, including the Airport Express and Xijiao Line.
Shanghai introduced the system as a pilot in June 2025 across 21 lines and 517 stations, while Chengdu became the first city in mainland China to implement it on both metro and bus services, covering more than 400 metro stations and 7,000 buses.
In the Greater Bay Area, Visa’s contactless payments are accepted across multiple transport modes in Hong Kong, including the MTR, buses, trams, ferries, parking meters, and taxis.
The company is also working to extend the service to cross-border buses and taxis to support smoother travel between Hong Kong and mainland cities.
Visa said the launch of Tap to Ride on the Guangzhou Metro represents a step forward in expanding its regional transport payment network, enabling travellers from Hong Kong to continue using their Visa cards seamlessly upon arrival in Guangzhou.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by 鱼 鱼 via Unsplash