Japan next destination of Octopus cards

Ayra Wang

Hongkongers will be able to use Octopus cards in Japan as early as the third quarter of the year for more convenient travel.

Octopus is discussing with major Japanese payment platforms, with its mobile application expected to be available for use by Hongkongers in Japan at the initial stage.

This came after Octopus launched Thailand's PromptPay QR code payment in its app in 2023 and Zero Pay in South Korea last year.

Meanwhile, tourists will be able to take public transportation in Hong Kong, Macau and 336 mainland cities with a single Octopus card within the third quarter of the year, as the company plans to launch a new tourist card linked with the China T-union card.

The company will also add a new function to its mobile application, enabling Octopus holders to call online-ride hailing vehicles in the mainland. It is expected to be put into service as early as this month.

In a media luncheon yesterday, the company's chief executive officer Tim Ying Tien-chi revealed that Octopus remained the first payment option of tourists in Hong Kong, as the number of tourists using mobile Octopus tripled in 2024 compared to the previous year.

"Currently, seven in 10 tourists are using Octopus and the usage of mobile Octopus also increased by 300 percent year-on-year in 2024," Ying said.

Ying added that the company is committed to stress the "pain point" of outdated payment methods in local taxis.

The number of Octopus e-payment machines installed in taxis has surged by four times since its launch in 2020, with the transaction volume growing by over 67 percent last year.

The city's five licensed taxi fleets, which are expected to fully start service by July, are all equipped with Octopus readers, enabling passengers to pay fees by Octopus, Alipay, UnionPay and more.

Ying said the company will also launch more Octopus images targeting the younger generation.

The company will launch a new set of tourist physical cards with images featuring mainland and Hong Kong attractions, such as Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the tram in Hong Kong and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Shanghai.

The new card will connect with the mainland transport card China T-union, which can be used in over 300 mainland cities and Macau, while users can recharge the card in Hong Kong dollars and it will automatically convert to the local currency.

The company will also launch a new person-to-person method in the second half of the year, allowing mobile Octopus users to tap to transfer money to another user's account through mobile phones.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com