Taipei MRT to accept credit cards, mobile payments in October

台北捷運十月開通信用卡及手機支付

Passengers will be able to use Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) will upgrade its ticket gates by October to accept credit cards, contactless and mobile payments.

Since June 2023, the system has progressively upgraded 1,396 ticketing gates across all 117 stations, per Knews. The upgraded gates will retain the original stored-value card function while adding support for contactless payments via physical credit cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

A new QR code ticketing feature will allow passengers to scan codes using popular payment platforms such as Line Pay, EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay, Taishin Pay, E.Sun Wallet, PxPay Plus and PlusPay.

At a press conference late last month, Taipei City Council members urged the EasyCard Corporation to speed development of mobile payment support for iPhones. While EasyCard has enabled NFC functionality, it currently supports only Android devices, making it inconvenient for approximately 40% of MRT passengers who use iPhones.

The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit said Sunday that once the upgrade is completed, it will support a wide range of payment methods. Many commuters are especially looking forward to a Japanese style Suica system, where users can tap without unlocking their iPhones, a feature expected to go live after October.

The MRT explained that the upgraded gates will support Apple Pay’s Express Mode for credit cards, allowing iPhone users to tap in and out without unlocking their phones with Face ID or Touch ID. A simple tap near the fare gate will suffice.

According to the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems, the gate system upgrade is part of a project to replace outdated equipment and introduce multi-payment capabilities, and over 60% of installation work has been completed.

The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit pointed out that the project includes plans to install 2,361 multi-payment add-on units on the gates, which add QR code and credit card sensor zones without altering the existing gate structure.