Octopus payment options may soon be available in Japan, making trips to the island nation more convenient for Hong Kong residents. Officials from the city’s pioneering contactless smart card system revealed that they are working out how Hong Kong visitors to Japan can use the Octopus app during their trips to the country. They also revealed plans for a tourist card for public transport in Hong Kong, Macau, and over 300 cities in Mainland China.
How Octopus Payments in Japan Will Work
According to media reports, Octopus users will get direct currency conversions and automatic deductions from within the app when they scan QR codes to pay Japanese merchants. The feature will likely be similar to Octopus’s tie-ups with PromptPay in Thailand and ZeroPay in South Korea, by which users must first top up their e-wallets from which payments are deducted from their balance.
Japan saw record-breaking visitor arrivals in 2024, with 36.8 million tourists entering the country during the year, of which 2.68 million were from Hong Kong. The SAR accounted for the fourth-highest Japan-bound travellers after South Korea, Mainland China, and Taiwan. In addition, Hongkongers spent ¥658.4 billion (about HK$34 billion) in Japan last year — making up about 8.1% of total visitor expenditure.
More Transport Transaction Options for Tourists and Residents
Octopus officials also revealed that they expect to introduce a card for tourists to use on public transport in Hong Kong, neighbouring SAR Macau, and 336 destinations in Mainland China by the end of this year, thanks to a tie-up with the China T-Union Card. This will be different from the current Octopus–China T-Union Card that Hong Kong residents can pick up at convenience stores for HK$68 to use for their travel within the Mainland.
The company also aims to get more Hong Kong taxi drivers to install Octopus readers in their vehicles so that passengers can make cashless payments for their rides. Apart from their already 17,400 active cab driver accounts, the five new taxi fleets that will launch by mid-July will accept Octopus, Alipay, UnionPay and other non-cash transactions.
Image credits: Kishor via Unsplash
