Smartphone payment comes to Beijing Subway Airport Express

Payment by smart phone is now available on the Beijing Subway Airport Express, reports Beijing Youth Daily.

Payment by smart phone is now available on the Beijing Subway Airport Express. [Photo: weibo account]

Passengers simply need to scan a QR bar code using an APP to use the subway. Any smart phones will work, and they don't need to be fitted with a NFC (near-field communication) facility.

The payment by phone capability is aimed at improving the experience of Beijing Subway passengers, according to Beijing Subway.

Payment by smart phone is now available on the Beijing Subway Airport Express. [Photo: weibo account]

This is the third stage of a roll-out of online ticketing, which started on August 20, 2017, and which so far has been extended to twenty stations with a large volume of passengers.

By September 17, 2017, 126,000 tickets had been bought online and used offline at the station, accounting for 2.66% of all tickets.

Payment by smart phone is now available on the Beijing Subway Airport Express. [Photo: weibo account]

It is expected that payment by phone will be made available on all subway lines in Beijing by the first quarter of 2018.