Beijing Metro Premieres New Mobile Payment App

By Valerie Osipov

Say zaijian to those paper bills digging a hole in your pocket, Beijingers – you won't need them to refill your metro cards anymore.

The Beijing Metro just premiered its own mobile payment app. Starting April 29, most of Beijing's metro system, with the exception of the Xijiao line, will offer passengers the option to pay by QR code using Easy Pass, the city's new transit app, according to TechNode. Whether you're team WeChat or Alipay, you will be able for your trip using the very mobile payment platforms that – let's face it – you use for everything else in your life.

While commuters were already able to pay by phone utilizing other platforms such as Apple Pay, Easy Pass (易通行 Yitongxing) will be the city's official transit app.

READ MORE: Beijingers Can Now Pay for the Subway Using Their Phones

How does it work? Users will have to download the Easy Pass app (only available in Chinese for now). From there, you've got the golden ticket to the entire Beijing metro system. That's right, you can go anywhere – well, as far as the lines will take you – simply by using a QR code. The cost of your trip is deducted upon completion, confirmed through the app. Easy-breezy.      

Image via TechNode

Users will also be rewarded with discounted fares after spending a certain amount – RMB100 scores you a 20 percent discount and RMB150 increases you to 50 percent. Take note, discounts will no longer be applied after RMB400, so soak in those sweet savings while they last.

Beijing is late to the party – Hangzhou's metro introduced QR code payments for its entire transit system at the end of last year, making it the first city in China to implement this idea, as reported by People's Daily. Xi'an has also been operating with a similar system as well as Shanghai, which announced the service early this year.

Better late than never.

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