Chengdu Launches Tap-to-Pay with Visa and MasterCard Ahead of World Games 2025

As it prepares to host the 2025 World Games, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is rolling out extensive infrastructure upgrades designed to create a seamless experience for international visitors. These enhancements in smart transit and tourism are a direct response to a surge in visitor numbers, with the city welcoming over 984,000 inbound tourists in the first half of 2025—a 51.5% increase year-on-year.

In a landmark move for tourist convenience, Chengdu’s public transit system began accepting contactless payments from major international bank cards on July 28. This initiative makes Chengdu the third city in mainland China, after Beijing and Shanghai, to integrate foreign card payments and the very first to offer the service across both its metro and bus systems. Travellers can now use bank cards, including UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, to navigate the city with unprecedented ease.

Travel and Tour World reports that to enable this feature, the Chengdu Metro upgraded over 10,000 fare devices and more than 30 supporting systems. At all 423 metro stations, visitors can now simply tap their compatible cards at the fare gates to enter and exit. The identical international cards can also be used to purchase single-journey tickets and day passes from station vending machines.

According to the Bastille Post, the Chengdu Public Transport Group has also extended this functionality across the city’s entire bus network. This move effectively eliminates the need for tourists to carry cash or navigate local mobile payment apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay for their transit needs. The system is designed for simplicity, requiring only that a passenger’s card is enabled for small-amount, password-free transactions and has a sufficient balance or credit line.

Complementing the payment upgrades, Chengdu has significantly expanded its multilingual support systems. All metro trains and stations now feature bilingual signage and announcements in both Chinese and English. Furthermore, real-time translation devices supporting over ten major global languages have been deployed at every metro station, helping to reduce communication barriers and navigational stress for non-Mandarin speakers.

To offer a human touch, Chengdu Metro has also stationed bilingual volunteers at key transport hubs, including major interchange stations, airports, and areas surrounding the World Games venues. These volunteers are available to assist tourists with ticketing, directions, and other general enquiries, fostering a more welcoming and accessible environment.

The 12th edition of the World Games, scheduled for August 7-17, 2025, is the first time the prestigious event will be held on the Chinese mainland. As a major multisport competition featuring disciplines not included in the Olympics, it will draw athletes and spectators from over 100 countries, accelerating Chengdu’s transformation into a world-class destination.

Capitalising on this influx, Chengdu’s tourism bureau has partnered with local businesses to offer special incentives. Foreign visitors can use their World Games event tickets to gain free or discounted access to select museums, scenic spots, and cultural exhibitions. Additionally, 25 hotels, 140 restaurants, and 11 museums, all strategically located near game venues, are providing exclusive deals to ticket holders to encourage longer stays and deeper cultural engagement.

Beyond the games, Chengdu is bolstering its retail and cultural landscape. The city has opened new duty-free shopping centres and increased the number of tax-refund stores, aligning with a national strategy to boost tourism spending.

Cultural institutions are also contributing by launching themed tours and immersive experiences that highlight Sichuan’s rich heritage. Visitors can enjoy panda sanctuary tours, visit tea plantations, witness traditional Sichuan opera performances, and participate in culinary workshops featuring iconic local dishes like hotpot and mapo tofu, ensuring a memorable experience beyond the sporting arenas.

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Chengdu’s strategic preparations for the 2025 World Games leave crucial tourism and travel lessons that Africa, and specifically Nigeria, can learn for hosting future international events. For one, Chengdu didn’t just build stadiums; it fundamentally upgraded its public transportation backbone (metro and bus systems) for long-term use by both citizens and future tourists. Every investment was made with an eye on its utility long after the games conclude.

Too often, event hosting in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, leads to “white elephant” projects, magnificent stadiums or event villages that fall into disrepair due to a lack of a sustainable post-event plan. Nigeria must shift its mindset from “building for the event” to “using the event to build the city”. 

Before a single brick is laid for a new facility in Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt, the primary question must be: “How will this serve the community and the local economy for the next 20 years?” This means prioritising projects like mass transit, power grid upgrades, and digital infrastructure that have a clear, lasting benefit for the populace.

The city also identified a major pain point for international visitors—payment complexity—and solved it by enabling direct contactless payments with international cards (Visa, Mastercard) on all public transit. This single move eliminated a considerable barrier to entry.

For a tourist arriving in Lagos, navigating payments can be daunting. The reliance on cash for everyday transactions like riding in a danfo or keke, coupled with the inconsistent acceptance of international cards outside of high-end establishments, creates significant friction. Nigeria is home to a world-class fintech ecosystem (Flutterwave, Paystack, Interswitch). 

The lesson is to forge public-private partnerships with these companies to create a unified, interoperable payment system for public services. Imagine a tourist tapping their international credit card or using a single app to pay for a BRT bus in Lagos, a ride on the Abuja Light Rail, and entry to the Lekki Conservation Centre. This would not only revolutionise the tourist experience but also formalise parts of the informal economy, enhance security, and provide invaluable data for urban planning.

Chengdu’s also deployed bilingual volunteers and translation devices, recognising that a welcoming human element is as important as physical infrastructure. This “soft infrastructure” directly addresses visitor anxiety and improves the overall experience. Nigeria has a tremendous, often underutilised, asset: a massive, vibrant, and youthful English-speaking population. 

The lesson is to invest in training and deploying this human capital. For any significant event, a “Lagos Ambassador” or “Team Nigeria Volunteer” corps could be established. These trained, uniformed young people stationed at airports, transport hubs, and event venues would provide assistance, directions, and a welcoming face for the nation. This initiative would create temporary jobs, impart valuable hospitality skills, and fundamentally shape a positive international perception that lasts far longer than the event itself.

 

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FAQs

1. What is the most significant new change for tourists using public transport in Chengdu?

Tourists can now use their contactless international bank cards (like Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, and American Express) to pay for fares directly on the entire Chengdu metro and bus network, eliminating the need for cash or local payment apps.

2. Do I need to set up a special app or account to use my credit card on the metro or bus?

No. You do not need a local app like Alipay or WeChat Pay for transit. You just need to ensure your physical bank card supports small, password-free contactless transactions and has sufficient funds or credit.

3. How is Chengdu making it easier for non-Chinese speakers to get around?

The city has implemented bilingual (Chinese-English) signs and announcements in the metro system, deployed real-time translation devices at all stations, and stationed bilingual volunteers at major transport hubs to assist visitors.

4. Is Chengdu the only city in China where I can use my foreign bank card for transit?

While Beijing and Shanghai also accept foreign cards, Chengdu is the first city in mainland China to offer this convenience on both its metro and bus systems city-wide.

5. Are there any special perks for visitors attending the 2025 World Games?

Yes. Your World Games ticket stub can grant you free or discounted entry to participating museums, scenic locations, and cultural sites. Many hotels and restaurants near the venues are also offering exclusive deals for ticket holders.