Metro: enter, travel & exit
Metro: enter, travel & exit in Beijing: what to check, how to ask staff, and where to confirm the current rules. Practical guidance with original sources.
Use this guide to prepare your questions. Confirm the current rule with the venue before booking or travelling. These notes are under local and language review; they do not guarantee entry, ticket availability or a refund.
Find your situation
- Choose how to enter the metro
- Buy tickets for a group
- Buy metro tickets for our group
- I do not understand the security check
- Find a transfer, exit or lift
- Transit QR setup is failing
- Card or phone rejected at the gate
- I entered but cannot exit
- Check an unexpected card charge
- Entered the wrong station
Choose how to enter the metro
When: Before you start
Choose a supported contactless bank card, a Beijing transit QR code, or a single ticket. A shopping payment code is not a transit QR code. For a group or an unsuccessful setup, use a ticket machine or staff.
Try this free Chinese cardBuy tickets for a group
When: Before you start
Contactless bank-card entry is for one passenger per card. To pay for several passengers, buy separate tickets at a machine or counter. Ask staff about child tickets instead of treating everyone as an adult.
View the phrase cardBuy metro tickets for our group
When: At the location
Show your destination station in Chinese from your map; confirm it is a metro station, then choose the number of tickets. Use the machine’s English interface or ask staff if payment fails. Keep the ticket until you exit.
View the phrase cardI do not understand the security check
When: At the location
Stop and ask which item or action needs attention. Let staff point or write a short instruction; do not assume old advice about liquids or luggage applies today. This tool cannot translate a free spoken reply.
View the phrase cardFind a transfer, exit or lift
When: At the location
Check your current station and destination in a map app. Show staff the route or place name and confirm signs on site; temporary closures and lift availability need local confirmation.
View the phrase cardTransit QR setup is failing
When: When something goes wrong
Confirm you selected Beijing’s transit QR, not a wallet top-up or normal payment code. Read the error before retrying. If setup still fails, try a supported card or buy a single ticket; do not keep registering repeatedly.
View the phrase cardCard or phone rejected at the gate
When: When something goes wrong
If you have not entered, ask staff or buy a single ticket. If already inside, use the exit-problem step instead. Keep the actual card or device ready; repeated taps do not prove payment or entry succeeded.
View the phrase cardI entered but cannot exit
When: When something goes wrong
Go to a staffed service point without forcing the gate. Show the card, phone or ticket used to enter and tell staff the entry station. Ask them to check the journey record before any correction or extra payment.
View the phrase cardCheck an unexpected card charge
When: When something goes wrong
A bank notification may be a pre-authorisation rather than the final fare. Compare pending and settled transactions; ask metro staff about the trip and your bank about the card record. Do not share a full card number here.
View the phrase cardEntered the wrong station
When: When something goes wrong
Before exiting, tell staff your ticket type and that you have not travelled. Ask them to confirm the applicable exit and refund procedure. Time limits differ; do not assume a free exit or automatic refund.
View the phrase card