Mobile payments and digital wallets, curated for travelers visiting Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is far friendlier to foreign cards than it once was: contactless Visa and Mastercard now work at MTR gates, chain stores and most restaurants. The city still runs on Octopus though, with more cards in circulation than residents, and minibuses, street food stalls and many small cha chaan tengs take only Octopus or cash. Put Octopus on your phone on day one and keep a few hundred Hong Kong dollars in cash for the gaps.
Hong Kong's stored value card in app form. Add Octopus to Apple Wallet, top up with your home Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay, and tap for the MTR, buses and convenience stores.
Hong Kong's most used QR wallet, accepted in taxis, wet markets, cha chaan tengs and on buses. It runs separately from mainland China's Alipay app.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Hong Kong with plans from $1.50 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Octopus for Tourists is the top-rated payments app in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's stored value card in app form. Add Octopus to Apple Wallet, top up with your home Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay, and tap for the MTR, buses and convenience stores.
There are 2 payments apps available in Hong Kong as of 2026.
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