Frequent visitor of HK uses Octopus
I am a repeater of Hong Kong, I rarely take taxies, regularly take a ride of public transportations. Octopus Card, the Hong Kong’s transportation card.
Kkday Hong Kong Octopus Card (Hong Kong Airport Pick-up)
This was Hong Kong one of the most earliest adaptor of IC transportation card system. You can use this card in (most of) all the transportations, probably some mini buses do not accept, but not so much sure. As the tourists of HK, you may not take mini buses.
You can also ride AEL in this card, and I had. But recently I buy discount ticket of AEL.
See also: Airport Express in Hong Kong
Actually there are some other cards, like 3 days MTR Pass with AEL tickets.
Kkday Hong Kong Airport Express and MTR Travel Ticket
But I take a ride of MTR, buses, trams, and star ferry. The MTR passes are not always useful for me. This is the reason why I use and recommend Octopus.
Do not stingy with buying Octopus, it is waste of your time
I had seen a lady who was stingy with buying both Octopus Card and HK SIM card. That’s her way. None of my business.
But please remember in Hong Kong they push Octopus, bus price is sometimes counted by the cents, and the bus drivers do not give you the change, and I had rarely see the 1 HK cent coins with buying things by cash, like in the supermarkets.
And in MTR, they discount few for the Octopus users. That lady needed to pay more than me in MRT or Bus. She often rushed to the small stores to ask for change, and needed to find other place’s coins in her wallet (she was from Taiwan, and according to her, it was the first time to be at HK. I met her in the dormitory). I do not want to blame her, but felt she is wasting her time with not to buying the Octopus.
You can charge HK$50 or HK$100 in the MTR stations, or 7-11, you may see really easily.
In the station, go to find this machine to charge.
You can also buy some treats like in Hui Lau Shan (許留山), you can pay in this Octopus (no discount, generally).
Sold Tourist Octopus
In the picture, this Octopus is called as “Sold Tourist Octopus”, what I booked in Kkday, on Nov 2017.
The system is a little bit changed, currently seems this is the very “the selling price of Sold Tourist Octopus distributed by China Travel Service (HK) Limited is HK$39 plus an initial stored value of HK$10, total selling price is HK$49.”
We can not ask refund, but you can charge it to you in your next travel to HK. You can also check how much it is remained with your smartphone with NFC facility with application.
Pick up in AXX booth in HK airport as the direction which you will get. (It often changes as the supplier changes, or something.)
Kkday Hong Kong Octopus Card (Hong Kong Airport Pick-up)
Octopus Card in Apple Pay
As of June 2020, they allow to use regular & adult Octopus Card to transfer to Apple Wallet.
Sky is a Japanese, and Japanese is my first language. Below screen shots are by Japanese.
First of all, you need to switch your “Region” of your iPhone to Hong Kong. Check your device is iPhone 8 or above, mine is iPhone XR. Also I needed to update to latest iOS version of iOS 13.5.1.
Originally I had two Octopus cards, one is bought in 2006, the regular one, I could transfer to my Apple Pay.
Indeed, please remember I did not try the Sold Tourist Octopus to transfer, I do not need two Octopus in my iPhone.
Seems I am not able to top up/ buy with my credit card issued in Japan, we need those issued in Hong Kong.
Also refund system is through the application of “Octopus”, and seemed for we tourists, it is not easy to get back the money.
Please check the guideline from Octopus.
