Beijing drops activation fee for mobile transportation cards

Starting this Friday, travelers who want to use the Beijing municipal transportation cards on their smart phones will no longer need to pay the activation fee.

All users of iPhone 6 and newer models and Apple Watch Series 1 and newer models will be able to create their own mobile Beijing municipal transportation cards free of charge. The cards can be created and accessed through the official smart phone app or users' Apple Wallet.

With the help of new technologies, such as Near Field Communication (NFC) and QR code scanning, authorities in Beijing aim to build an all-around intelligent public transportation payment system, to make it cheaper and easier for travelers in the city.

For Andriod users, the activation fee was canceled in the beginning of July.