If you plan to stay in Taipei for an extended amount of time, you must get yourself an Easy Card, also known as the “Yōuyóu kǎ” in Chinese (悠遊卡).
This is something I highly suggest only if you will be traveling in Taipei. So what exactly is an Easy Card? They are essentially debit cards. You add money into them to pay for food, snacks and transportation.
Note: This card is not compatible with transportation services in most other cities. In Kaohsiung, you will need an iPass card. However, the Easy Card is also accepted in Kaohsiung as well.
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7 Benefits of the Taipei Easy Card
The original purpose of Taipei’s Easy Card was to make transportation convenient. With an Easy Card, you can effortlessly swipe in and out of the gates at the metro stations in Taipei.
Convenience is key here. It sucks having to fumble through your pockets for enough change to purchase a single journey ticket every time you want to ride the MRT. Meanwhile, your friends will already be on the other side of the gates waiting for you.
But in addition to convenience while traveling on the MRT, the Taipei Easy Card has many other benefits and uses. Here are 7 advantages of getting an Easy Card for your next trip to Taipei.
1. Discounts on MRT Fares
Yes, you read that right. Not only is the Taipei Easy Card convenient for metro rides, but they also save you a cool 20% off all your fares.
Considering how cheap MRT fares are, this may seem like a small benefit. However, if you’re staying for a few days, then it can really add up. Since MRT is the best method of transportation in Taipei, it’s worth getting for this alone.
I don’t know about you, but I use the Taipei MRT a lot and the savings are fantastic. Now I can splurge on a Milk tea with real milk instead of powder milk. A huge win indeed.
2. Make Purchases at Convenient Stores
Why not make your convenient Easy Card compatible with convenient stores? It only makes sense, and that’s exactly what these stores did.
These cards are accepted at all 7 Elevens, Family Marts, Hi-Lifes and OK Marts in Taipei. No more collecting change in your pockets again! What’s even more convenient is that you can also reload at these convenient stores.
You’ll scan your Easy Card at the register and the register will tell you exactly how much you have left on the balance. It’s like a debit card, but better (at least at convenience stores).
3. Buy Starbucks coffee
A great thing about Taipei is you’re always a block or two away from a Starbucks. Being able to purchase coffee with your Easy Card makes it even greater.
Starbucks is just an example. There are other big international chains (few domestic), such as McDonalds, that also accept the Easy Card for purchases.
If you’re in one of those restaurants or shops, it doesn’t hurt to ask. You’d be surprised at how many places accept these cards.
4. Pay Your Bus Fare
Although you don’t get discounts on your bus fares, swiping your Easy Card beats having to pay with your coins. I hate carrying coins around and this helps solve the problem.
Buses move quickly in Taipei and there is very little downtime. They’ll come, drop people off, pick up people and leave. Counting your coins for bus fare is one of the best ways to annoy fellow riders and the bus driver.
With that said, make sure you have an Easy Card before you decide to take the local bus.
5. Rent a YouBike
This is one of the coolest additions to Taipei’s public transportation system and you need an Easy Card to rent a YouBike. And no, you can’t rent a bike at your YouBike station with coins/change.
Not only do you need an Easy Card, but you’ll need to register the card with the city government. It’ll only take a few minutes to do this. But if you need help, you can ask an employee at one of the MRT stations.
There are plenty of YouBike stations and bikes all around Taipei that makes it super convenient method of transportation if you’re willing to sweat a little bit.
6. Pay For Taxi Rides
Yes, you can even pay for Taxi rides with your Easy Card should you choose to go with this means of transportation. It’s much more expensive than the MRT, but sometimes you’re just in a rush (or lazy).
However, not all cabs will allow you to pay your fare using the Easy Card. Some of them do, and more Taxis are joining everyday.
Always ask in advance if you’re not sure. There should be a noticeable Easy Card scanner in their car if they do accept it.
7. Pay for Train Fares
You can use the Easy Card to pay for fares on the Taiwan Railway. But this card is not accepted for all the train lines. Make sure to ask the help desk at the train station to make sure you can pay using your Easy Card.
If not, you’ll just need to buy a ticket with cash/card at the counter. It’s no big deal.
Where Do You Get an Easy Card?
To get an Easy Card, go to the nearest MRT station in Taipei. You’ll want to head to the help booth that’s usually located next to the actual entrance of the station, where people are scanning their cards.
The card will cost you $100 NTD (or roughly $3 USD) as a deposit. Any more you decide to pay for the card will will go straight to the Easy Card’s balance.
But if your trip has ended and you don’t need it anymore, you can return your card and get the $100 NTD back.
You can also go to the metro station machines along the side of the walls. I usually use these to reload my card, but I would recommend going to the help desk because there’s a live person helping you out.
How to Check Easy Card Balance
The easiest way to check the balance on your card is to use it with any public transportation method. Once you swipe your card, the digital display will tell you how much money is left on your card.
Likewise, asking the employee at the help desk works too. It’s a good idea if you don’t actually plan on taking the MRT anywhere.
But if you aren’t near MRT transportation, you can always go to your local convenience store and have the cashier check the remaining balance for you. They’ll do this for you even if you don’t plan to buy anything from the store.
There are plenty of convenience stores around the city, so you should have no problem finding one.
The newer Easy Cards now have a chip like real debit cards. You can actually link your name and an online account to your card to check the balance.
For more information on how to do this, I suggest heading over to Taipei Easy Card’s official website here.
Where to Reload Your Easy Card
Let’s say you enter the MRT gates with $2 NTD left on your card. You hop on the MRT and it takes you to a destination that costs $16 NTD.
When swiping out of the destination station, your card will be negative 14 (-$14 NTD). You will not be able to use this card again until your balance becomes positive again.
So, where do add more money on the Easy Card? The same machine you can get your card from can also be used to reload your Easy Card. However, they don’t give you change for large bills.
If you only have a $1000 NTD bill and you want to add only $300 NTD, go to the help desk next to the gates to enter the station.
You can also reload your Easy Card at any convenience store. Go up to the cashier, give them money and the card and they should know what your intentions are.
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