Beijing's Official Services for Foreign Visitors

Beijing rolled out a stack of official, free services for international visitors in 2025-2026 — all in multiple languages, no agency, no fee. They solve the three classic arrival pains: getting online, paying, and getting around. Here is what each one is and when to reach for it.

GO BEIJING — open this first

GO BEIJING is an Alipay mini-program (search 'GO BEIJING' inside Alipay) with around 39 services in roughly 16 languages: maps and transit, attraction tickets, hospital registration, a no-fee Travel Wallet for small sums, and an AI guide called 'Jingjing' you can chat with in plain language. If you only set up one thing on arrival, make it this.

Beijing Service desks at the airports

Both PEK (Capital) and PKX (Daxing) have Beijing Service counters in the arrivals hall. Staff help you get a local SIM or eSIM, link a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay, and even lend AI translation devices. If your phone setup stalled before the flight, do it here on the spot — signs are in English and several other languages.

Tap-to-Go: your foreign card at the gate

Tap-to-Go lets you tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard straight on Beijing subway and some bus readers — no transport card, no app, no Chinese number. It is the fastest way to start riding the moment you leave the airport, and it pairs naturally with the airport desks above.

When you need a human

For tourism questions in the city, the 12345 hotline and visitor centers offer multilingual help; major stations and sights have staffed info points. Keep your hotel's card handy — front desks routinely help with bookings, translation and directions, which is where our two hotels come in.

What the free services don't cover: paying where cards fail

Tap-to-Go and Beijing Service solve transit and information, but plenty of daily spending still trips visitors up. Small restaurants, market stalls, and many pharmacies run almost entirely on Alipay or WeChat Pay; the good news is that both now accept foreign Visa, Mastercard, and, for Alipay, Amex and JCB cards linked through the international version of the app. Set this up before you land, because hotel Wi-Fi registration and some ticket vendors will ask for a Chinese payment method on the spot. Expect a roughly 3% foreign-card fee on Alipay transactions above a certain monthly threshold — check the current limit in the app. Cash still works for taxis and larger stores, but drivers rarely carry change for 100-yuan notes, so pay by app or break large bills at a convenience store. A chargeable portable Wi-Fi rental desk sits near the Beijing Service counters if you skip an eSIM.

Timing your arrival: when the airport desks are actually worth it

The Beijing Service counters are most useful at certain hours and nearly empty at others. Arriving on an overnight US or Europe flight lands you in the 5:00-9:00 am wave, when both PEK and PKX desks are fully staffed — the best moment to sort a transit pass, ask about the Daxing Express, or get help installing GO BEIJING before you reach the metro. Mid-afternoon arrivals from Southeast Asia collide with tour groups and domestic banks of arrivals, so queues at the counters and immigration both stretch. If you land late morning at Daxing, note the express train to Caoqiao on Line 19 takes around 19 minutes but runs roughly every 8-10 minutes; check the timetable on the day, as frequencies shift with season. Trains stop around 23:00, so a landing after 22:30 realistically means a taxi or ride-hailing app, which needs a working Chinese payment method — one more reason to set up Alipay before departure.

Late arrivals: the last trains and when a taxi is the smarter call

If you land after 21:30, plan on ground transport rather than the subway. The Airport Express from both PEK and PKX stops running around 22:30-23:00 (check the day's schedule on GO BEIJING or the Beijing Subway app), and connecting subway lines generally close between 22:30 and 23:30, depending on the line and direction. Tap-to-Go will work fine at that hour — the gates don't care — but the trains won't be there. Official taxi queues at both airports operate all night; expect roughly 100-150 yuan from PEK to central districts and 150-200 yuan from PKX, which is farther out. Didi works with international cards and is usually the cheaper option, though the pickup points at Daxing are a short walk from arrivals. If your flight is delayed into the early hours, the Beijing Service desks may be closed, so sort your Alipay or DiDi setup before you fly.

Related Beijing guides

If you found this useful, these cover the next question most visitors ask:

Practical Tips — Drones & Photography Rules in Beijing (2026): Why You Shouldn't Bring One
First Time — Beijing Info Center for Foreign Visitors
Payments — Amap (Gaode Maps) Login Issues for Foreign Visitors: Solving the Most Common Problems

When the official services fail: quick fixes

Tap-to-Go rejected at the gate — Foreign cards decline for reasons you can't see — sometimes the bank, sometimes the gate. Step aside, try the same card once more, then switch to a staffed window or the manual gate; staff wave you through and you can pay at a machine inside.
Alipay won't verify your passport — Name must match the passport exactly, including multi-part surnames. If verification keeps failing, link the card first through the GO BEIJING airport desk or skip verification and use Alipay's TourCard prepaid option as a fallback.
GO BEIJING mini-program loads blank — It lives inside Alipay, not a standalone app. Update Alipay, allow location permission, and search again; on older phones, the mobile web version of the same services is usually more reliable.
Taxi driver won't take cash or card — Taxis must accept cash by law, but small notes matter. If the meter isn't running or the route looks wrong, ask for the printed receipt (fapiao) — it carries the vehicle number, which the 12345 hotline can act on.

Common first-day mistakes

Relying on the subway alone — The last trains run around 23:00 on most lines. DiDi works with foreign cards in the app, but confirm your payment is linked before you need a late ride.
Changing money at the airport — Airport exchange rates are poor. Bank of America/UK bank cards usually beat cash exchange via ATMs at ICBC or Bank of China branches in the city.
Skipping the transit mini-program setup — GO BEIJING inside Alipay is where many attractions release timed-entry tickets. Set it up before you queue at a counter.
Assuming tap-to-ride covers buses — Coverage on buses is partial. Carry a small amount of cash or keep Alipay ready for surface transit.
Not checking terminal transfers at PEK — PEK splits across T2 and T3; allow 20-30 minutes between terminals if a domestic connection follows your international arrival.

Quick reference

GO BEIJING in Alipay — 39 services, ~16 languages, free.
Beijing Service desks — PEK and PKX arrivals — SIM, payments, translation.
Tap-to-Go at the gate — Foreign Visa/Mastercard, no app needed.
12345 hotline — Multilingual tourism help in the city.
Your hotel front desk — Booking, translation and directions on call.