Which Octopus should you use for airport and city trips?
Updated
Landing at HKG, or already in town and choosing an Octopus? Octopus's own pages have every detail on buying and refunds; this guide is the decision: which one fits your trip, and how it works on the Airport Express, the Cityflyer buses and the MTR.
The short answer
- Get one before or as you leave the airport: the app on an iPhone, or a Tourist Octopus card.
- Top up before you ride: the sold Tourist cards start with no stored value.
- Tap for the trip: check today's fare on a real route (examples below).
- Refund what's left before you fly out (the rules differ by type).
Plan your first ride · Airport Express vs A21 / A22 · Airport → Tsim Sha Tsui
Which Octopus should I get?
| Type | Best if | Cost | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octopus on iPhone or Apple Watch (Octopus App for Tourists) | You have a compatible iPhone | Added and topped up in the app | Deposit and remaining value refunded in the app |
| Huawei Wallet Octopus | You use a Huawei phone | Added through the Octopus App for Tourists | Refunded in the app |
| Tourist Octopus (sold) | You'd like a card to keep | HK$39, no deposit, no stored value: top it up | Remaining value refundable; the card is then deactivated |
| Tourist Octopus – China T-Union (sold) | You'll also ride in mainland cities or Macao | HK$42, no deposit, no stored value | As above |
| On-Loan Octopus | You want the classic card | HK$50 deposit + stored value (adult HK$150) | Return it at an MTR Customer Service Centre |
Products and fees change: check Octopus's tourist pages before you buy.
Getting one at the airport
- Tourist Octopus – China T-Union: at 7-Eleven in the arrivals hall, Global Exchange (Arrival Hall B) or the MTR Customer Service Centre at Airport station (not the one on Platform 1).
- Tourist Octopus (sold): only at Hung Fook Tong in the Departures Check-in Hall, Level 7: handy when you fly out, not on landing.
- Octopus on iPhone: add it in the Octopus App for Tourists, even before you land.
On-Loan cards are issued at many MTR Customer Service Centres, but not at Airport station: on landing, the app or a Tourist Octopus is simpler. The official list: arriving by air.
Topping up
- The sold Tourist cards need value before the first tap.
- On a phone: top up in the Octopus App for Tourists.
- A card: at 7-Eleven, Circle K, MTR add-value machines and other add-value points.
- At HK$0 or below, the card won't let you on until you add value.
Use it on a real trip
Octopus works on the Airport Express, the Cityflyer buses, the MTR, most buses and more. Fares on our site are Octopus fares from the official tables.
- Just landed, hotel on Nathan Road: Airport Express vs A21 / A22, then Airport → Tsim Sha Tsui or Airport → Mong Kok.
- Heading to Central: Airport → Central.
- Landing after midnight: night buses from the airport.
- Already in town: open the planner, set adults, children and seniors in Settings, and sort by cheapest or fastest.
Travelling together? Set your group in Settings: the cheapest trips are then ranked by what everyone pays, with children's and seniors' fares.
Leaving Hong Kong: refunds
- Octopus on a phone: refund in the Octopus App for Tourists.
- Tourist Octopus (sold): the remaining value can be refunded, after which the card no longer works; the card's price isn't refunded. Or keep it as a souvenir.
- On-Loan: return it at an MTR Customer Service Centre for the deposit and remaining value; handling fees can apply, for example if it's returned soon after you got it.
Details and fees: Octopus's leaving Hong Kong page.
Good to know
- Contactless bank cards work on the MTR and some buses, but Octopus is still the easiest choice across everything.
- Our planner shows Octopus fares before interchange discounts, so what you're charged can be a little less.
Do I need an Octopus as a tourist?
You can manage with single tickets and cash on some buses, but Octopus (or the app) is the easy default for the MTR, buses and the Airport Express.
Can I use Octopus on the Airport Express and the A21?
Yes. Tap in and out for the Airport Express; tap once as you board a Cityflyer bus. Compare them: Airport Express vs A21 / A22.
Where do I buy an Octopus at Hong Kong Airport?
The Tourist Octopus – China T-Union is sold at 7-Eleven, Global Exchange and the Airport station Customer Service Centre; the plain Tourist Octopus only at Hung Fook Tong, Departures level. Or add Octopus to an iPhone in the Octopus App for Tourists.
How do I get a refund?
On a phone, in the app. A card, at an MTR Customer Service Centre before you leave. The price of a sold Tourist Octopus isn't refunded.
How this guide is made
Fares and the night-bus examples are worked out today from the Transport Department's and MTR's open data on DATA.GOV.HK, as in our planner; Octopus product details follow Octopus Cards Limited's tourist pages, which are the final word. The advice is ours.