Sapporo subway to introduce credit card touch payment at all stations

The Sapporo Subway is set to roll-out the ability to pay via credit card at all stations on its network, starting from late April.

Starting from the 26th of April 2025, passengers utilizing the Sapporo Municipal Subway system will have the option to settle their fares by simply touching their credit cards to designated readers.

‘Tap to ride’ readers will now be installed at every station on the Sapporo Subway network

To facilitate the new ‘tap to ride’ payment method, one dedicated ticket gate equipped with the necessary reader technology will be installed at each and every ticket gate across all 49 stations within the Sapporo Municipal Subway network.

Sapporo Station, being a larger hub, will have two such dedicated reader-equipped ticket gates.

Most stations will just have one ‘tap to ride’ enabled gate, however Sapporo Station will have two due to its size and higher than average passenger numbers

The credit card brands that will be supported for these touch payments include Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay.

International cards will be accepted, however users should refer to their own card provider regarding any additional fees that will be charged as a result of a transaction in a foreign currency.

Passengers should be aware that the fare deducted via this method will be the standard “normal adult” fare, and that child fares, welfare discounts, and transfer discounts will not be applicable when using this payment system.

At a press conference held to announce this initiative, Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto emphasized the anticipated benefits, stating: “I believe this will improve convenience for not only our citizens, but also tourists from overseas, as passengers can board without the necessity of purchasing a paper ticket or a separate IC card.”

The introduction of credit card touch payment is being positioned initially as a “demonstration experiment.”

During a trial phase, the extent of its usage will be carefully monitored and examined, along with overall trends and effects, prior to a decision being made regarding its full-scale implementation across the subway system.

The Sapporo City Tram system has also allocated a budget for necessary renovations within its current financial year’s budget.

The ‘tap to ride’ payment method looks set to be introduced on tram services in Sapporo in the near future

This budgetary provision suggests that the Sapporo City Tram is also expected to be able to accept touch payments in the near future, further enhancing payment convenience across the city’s public transportation network.

According to information provided by the city’s Transportation Bureau, the implementation of touch payment systems has already been established in the public subway systems of several other major Japanese cities, including Fukuoka, Kobe, Yokohama, and Tokyo.

Source: UHB