Chinese metros are excellent — clean, frequent, cheap, signposted in English in every major city. Paying for them is the only part that needs a moment's preparation.
The phone method#
Inside Alipay there is a transport code — a QR code you hold against the reader at the gate. Add your city, let it generate the code, and scan in and out.
This is the option worth setting up, because one app covers metros in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an and many more. WeChat offers an equivalent. Fares come off your linked card automatically, so there is nothing to top up.
Set it up before you travel, or on the airport wifi before you reach the gates.
Ticket machines#
Every station has machines with an English option. You pick your destination station on a map, pay, and receive a plastic token or a paper ticket. Tap the token on the reader going in, drop it in the slot going out.
Two practical notes: many machines now take mobile payment only, so do not count on feeding in cash; and those that do take notes often want small denominations. Station staff booths can break notes and sell tickets directly.
Stored-value cards#
Each city has its own — Yikatong in Beijing, the Shanghai Public Transportation Card, and so on. You buy the card, load money, and tap. They usually work on buses too, and some carry a small fare discount.
Worth it only if you are staying in one city for a while. For a multi-city trip the phone code is better, because a city card is refundable only in the city that issued it.
Fares#
Chinese metros price by distance and are among the cheapest of any major world city. You will not need to think about the cost.
For intercity trains, buses and taxis, see the guide to transport in China.