Shanghai offers prepaid travel cards to visitors

Shanghai has released Shanghai Pass, a multipurpose prepaid travel card, to facilitate easy payments by inbound travelers and other visitors.

With a maximum balance of 1,000 yuan ($140), Shanghai Pass can be used for public transportation, and at cultural and tourism venues and shopping malls, according to Shanghai City Tour Card Development Co, which issued the card.

The card can be purchased and recharged at Hongqiao and Pudong airports and at major subway stations such as People's Square Station.

Cardholders can have any remaining balance refunded when they leave the city.

They can also use the card for public transportation in other cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Qingdao, Chengdu, Sanya and Xiamen, the company said.

Chinese authorities have taken an array of measures to enhance convenience for visitors, as foreigners who primarily rely on bank cards and cash may encounter challenges with cashless or non-card mobile payments, which is currently the predominant method of payment in China.

Shanghai received 1.27 million tourists in the first quarter of this year, up 250 percent year-on-year, and is expected to receive about 5 million inbound tourists for the whole year, according to the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Xinhua