Metro Ticket Machine Help

How to use this card

1. Save the image to your phone before traveling. We recommend screenshotting all 12 rescue cards and saving them to a dedicated “China Travel” album on your phone, so they’re available offline.
2. Open the image the moment you reach the ticket machine and realize the entire interface is in Chinese characters.
3. Show the Chinese text (top half of the card) to a local waiting in line behind you, or to a metro staff member in uniform. The pinyin is there as backup if they want to read it phonetically.
4. Read the English translation to understand their instructions back to you.

What they will likely say

• “我帮你买” (I’ll buy it for you) — They’ll take over the machine and hand you back a token. Pay them the fare plus a small tip (¥5 is generous and appreciated).
• “按这里，然后选站” (Press here, then choose your station) — Most machines have a top-row “中文 / English” toggle. After switching, the rest is easy.
• “用手机扫码” (Scan with your phone) — They want you to use Alipay or WeChat Pay’s metro QR code instead of a paper ticket. Much easier in 2026.
• “到终点站” (To the terminal station) — A common gesture: just buy a ticket to the end of the line and ride it out, then ask at the destination. Useful if you don’t know the exact station name.

Pro tips

• Set up Alipay’s metro QR before your trip — open Alipay → 首页 → 出行 (Travel) → 地铁 (Metro) → 立即开通 (Open now). You scan a QR at the gate and the fare is auto-deducted. This skips the machine entirely.
• Look for the small “English” button on the top-right of the screen — most major-city machines (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) have an English interface hidden one tap away.
• Keep a photo of your destination station’s Chinese name on your phone — the ticket machine’s station list is alphabetical by pinyin, so you can also just type the first letter if you know it.
• Have small bills and coins ready — many older machines do not accept WeChat Pay or Alipay; they only take ¥1, ¥5, ¥10 notes and ¥1 coins.
• Screenshots work offline — make sure you have the image saved to your phone, not just bookmarked in a browser.

Related guides

• China Metro Guide (English) — line-by-line English maps and station lookup
• Maps That Work in China — Apple Maps and Amap for figuring out which station to go to
• Essential Apps for China — the apps that solve this kind of problem before it happens

When this won’t help

If the metro station has no staffed booth and no local is willing to help, this card can’t conjure help. Instead:

• Use the WeChat or Alipay metro QR — if you have it set up, you skip the machine entirely. If not, set it up on the spot at any staffed gate.
• Buy a day pass at the customer service center — most Chinese metros sell unlimited-ride day passes for ¥15–25 that are valid on every line.
• Hail a taxi instead — show them your destination in Chinese characters (screenshot from Apple Maps works perfectly) and they’ll meter you there directly.
• Use a translation app’s camera mode — Google Translate (when accessible via VPN), Apple Translate, or Pleco can read the Chinese button labels in real time through your phone camera.