Octopus Card - why do I want it?
 

This is a little off the topic but it sounds like that I'm buying a quasi-credit card. I'm planning to be in H.K for 4 days in Feb with my wife; we were there about 13 years ago. We're planning to go to Macau for a day but otherwise just plan to take it easy. I was just planning to convert some USD into HKD and use Visa or AMEX while there. So, why do I want or need an Octopus card? Am I missing something here?

The Octopus card is similar to a personalized refillable gift card (or pre-paid credit card) with pay-wave function. It's main use is for speed and convenience for public transport, vending machines and certain shops where there is a large transaction volume and speeding up the line is greatly appreciated/a necessity. Examples are coffee shops, convenience stores and places where office workers buy lunch boxes during the lunch rush. Considering the majority of the HK population have one, not having one is considered rude as you will almost always hold up the line fiddling around with coins. Plus the HK$5 coin and HK$10 coin are quite heavy and generally a pain (literally) to carry.

However, if you will not be taking public transport, use vending machines nor eat outside of sit-down restaurants for the duration of your visit, there is no reason to get an Octopus card. If the only public transport you need is the Airport Express, then just get those tickets separately.

Octopus is not a debit card; it's a part of the HK way of life. Pretty much everyone from schoolchildren to bankers to tourists have one. It's like an Oyster card in London or a Suica card in Tokyo. If you won't be taking public transport at all during those 4 days (somewhat unlikely) you don't need Octopus, but if you do plan to use the MTR it'll save you valuable time because you won't have to buy single journey tickets all the time. The payment thing outside public transit is more of a side function; I rarely use it for that purpose other than buying the odd cup of coffee.

Life is much easier even as a tourist with an Octopus card. And it's not just for the MTR. For example, the tram (the rail-based double-decker trains, not the Peak Tram) cost $2.3 per ride - exact change required. Similar issue for buses and mini-buses. It's much simpler to be able to just tap the Octopus card than worry about change. Also, for the Peak Tram, if you have enough value on the card to pay for the fare, you can skip the inevitable line at the ticket window. For smaller purchases at 7-11 etc, you avoid getting a pocketful of change.

You can add value to the card at the time of purchase. That's what I usually do. The only catch is that you can use a credit card for the initial Tourist 1- or 2-way card purchase, but must use cash to add value. So, you already have to have HKD. So, after exiting Customs, hit the ATM first, then the Airport Express service counter to pick up your Tourist Octopus and add value to it.

Or if you bank with Standard Chartered, before you go through HK immigration! I always forget that and end up paying fees to use the HSBC cash machine. :(

To avoid DCC/being IDed for many small, trivial transactions (HK$18 or so I have seen people ask for ID.)

Thanks for all of the opinions/comments about the utility of having the Octpuss C
 

Thanks to all of you for your quick reply and guidance on the benefits of carrying such a card. I especially appreciate those comments regarding the cultural effect of not having a card -- not holding up others .... I'll reexamine my plans and will probably buy a small denomination card. BTW. do restaurants take the card? Thanks again.

Some do, such as McDonald's. I'm not sure about coffee shops and the like. From a US perspective, when using the cash payment feature of the Octopus card, think of it as a cash replacement, rather than a credit/debit card replacement. In places where you'd use a credit card back home, you'd probably use a credit card in Hong Kong (such as at a table service restaurant). Octopus payments are for things that you'd normally use cash for, such as McDonald's, 7-11, vending machines, etc. But not every cash business takes them. Typically, it has to be a corporate or chain type of store, so you still need cash for some things.

Steven M: Thanks for the clarification/amplification. As an aside, must one return to the place of Octopus card purchase to get what's left on the card? If I used a credit card for the original purchase, will the credit or what's left be refunded to me in cash or go back on the original credit card?

You can buy and refund standard Octopus cards at pretty much any MTR station at the service counter, including the Airport Station. They'll just give you the $50 in cash, plus whatever money is left on it. If you buy the "special" Octopus cards they sell at 7/11, MTR will not buy your card back and you can only get your stored value refunded, i.e. you have to absorb the cost of the card itself.

I am being helpful here just to list some, but I honestly did not research for all those location before replying

And let me stress, they are Fare Saver Station not refund. please find the below link for the refund station list

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/whatsnew/fare_saver.html

for the venue of reloading Octopus (not renting / purchasing) on Arrival at Hong Kong International Airport, you can do it at following places.

1. Airport Express Customer Service Centers (They are immediate after baggage collection, each side of the arrival hall, and on the middle of the train platform)
2. 7-11
3. Mannings (or known as Guardian outside HK)
4. Starbucks at Arrival Hall A

Just a friendly reminder you can leave your Octopus related operation on your arrival station of AEX - that you go to Customer Service Center in the Paid-Zone to settle it, unless you are taking other transportation into town that is

In addition to what Stantander mentioned, please note that there's a HKD 9 fee if you refund the Octopus within 3 months of issuance.

http://www.octopus.com.hk/customer-s.../en/index.html

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The comment I made here makes no representation of my company and is of my own opinion.
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Pacific Coffee Co and Starbucks definitely accept them.

Basically, for public transportation, only Red Minibus and taxis do not accept Octopus.

For retail, the store will show a sign outside (like Visa/MasterCard) so that you will know they accept or not.

For food, most major chains accept Octopus (Rule of Thumb - you have to show up physically in front of a register to do so. If someone gives you the check, then it is no brainer to think they accept Octopus.)

Santander: This may seem like a silly question but do my wife and I have to get separate cards for use on the local MTR system or can I use one card and therefore, pay for her and my admission?