To Octopus or Not-topus
 

Hi there

Just want to check if my understanding of this whole Octopus situation is more or less correct.

Octopus App versus Octopus for Tourists App: is the Tourist version just a sort of stripped-down, simplified version of the regular app, without features like Rewards and Subsidies that short term visitors won't benefit from? And is the reason to NOT install the regular app as a tourist that you'd need an HKID and a HK credit card to activate and use it?

Are fares cheaper when using the Octo-4-Tourists app? Or is the primary benefit convenience? Ie, not having to buy single fares each time you take transport. I'm only in HK for a few days and it looks like most of my intended destinations are within walking distance of my hotel, so I'm wondering if I should bother with Octopus at all, or just pay cash for the few ferry/MTR trips I might take. Can you buy the single fare tickets with a credit card?

TIA for any info or opinions.

You can always buy a physical Octopus if you're going to use cash anyway. Fares are the same for app vs physical card. The MTR accepts contactless Visa cards for direct payment of single fares: use your card directly at the Visa-enabled ticket barriers, don't buy a ticket which must be done in cash and costs more than Octopus. Star Ferry is cash or Octopus only (same price, change available)

Thanks, :D!, for the info - appreciated.

Places in Hong Kong are split into:
- Cash only
- Cash and Octopus
- Everything (Cash, Octopus, Alipay, Visa/Mastercard etc.)

You are somewhat correct with the Octopus for tourists version; another reason why you can't use the main app is that top-up is only using local banking methods (locally issued cards & bank account transfers).

Fares are not cheaper using an Octopus card vs (Visa) contactless, but they are cheaper than using cash. I would highly recommend getting a (digital) Octopus card as you'll be able to pay for things much quicker (including a lot of shops such as 7-11). As a tourist, most places that you will visit won't be cash only unless you go to those 'hidden food gems' down a backstreet-type places.

You can get a refund of your Octopus and balance on it when you leave Hong Kong. As a tourist, I'd say put about HKD 100 for every day you're there, plus another HKD 100 and it should cover you for the whole trip (MTR, ferry, 7-11, quick food breaks etc.).

Taxis are still mostly cash only I think, unless this has changed significantly with the digital payments program over the last few months.

I've found that 100 HKD can cover me for a week of short commutes on the MTR but if you start using the Octopus for everything (e.g. when touring about) it can dwindle very fast. A round trip ferry ride to and from an outer island and one snack from 711 and you can be pretty much done.

Thanks very much for the additional info, CarefreeBA and US HK UK Flyer. I've also read that the exchange rate one gets when adding funds to the tourist Octo app can be really poor (and presumably this applies on refunds too) but then, considering again that I'm only there for a few days and probably would not put much money on it, this would not amount to anything significant, so perhaps the convenience of the app is well worth a few measly dollars lost to FX.

In many cites, including HK, I prefer physical cards to fumbling around with my phone at subway or bus gates.

Nothing's changed - assume all taxis are cash only. Very occasionally you might find one with an Octopus reader. Very very occasionally the driver might actually deign to use it.

I also prefer the card to fumble with my phone. There is an Octopus Card for tourist you can get at the airport. It is preloaded with some HKD. Very convenient. OP, part of Hong Kong is to venture around so just going around your hotel you are going to seriously narrow your view of this gem of a place.

I also prefer a payment card to taking my credit card out (and potentially losing it, or needing to take my wallet out twice to remove it and place it back) when rushing through busy subway entrances, but the cheers greeting the rollout of contactless everywhere make me feel like a minority on this.

Thanks, franksnorge, for the advice. I totally agree with your opinion of HK - but this is not my first visit, and I have ventured around a fair bit previously. I guess it might sound like I've not been before due to my ignorance on the Octo topic but I just didn't bother getting one (or even looking into it) on previous visits. For whatever reason, the idea of getting it this time caught my attention.

Fair points, but whether it is a payment card, credit card or phone, you are taking something out of your pocket and at least with phone you don't run any risk of other cards, money etc, falling out while you fish the required card from your wallet. My understanding of the app is that you don't need to open the app or anything for it to work so there should be no 'fiddling' with the phone, just presenting it to the reader as you would the card. I guess if you had the physical Octo card in a separate pocket by itself, this would address my wallet concern. But now we really are digging into the minutiae of this whole situation....which is great! 😅

Most HKers have their Octopus card positioned in their wallet/purse (or often these days in the case of their mobile phone) in such a way that they just present the unopened wallet/purse to the reader in a specific orientation for the card to be read. I haven't had cause to take my Octopus out of my wallet for many months.

Yes, I agree. I guess I just prefer the relative lack of risk of losing a 500 HKD at most Octopus card (I recognize many people put a lot more on, but you can choose your comfort level) vs. the hassle of canceling or replacing a credit card if something goes awry with that, or fumbling with a phone with lots of impatient people behind you...ymmv kind of thing.

The Octopus for Tourists app only lets you top up the mobile Octopus in non-HKD currencies and definitely has a slight currency conversion markup. Last summer, I used it regardless and found it to be quite convenient for MTR travel, and I didn't have to deal with any cash exchanges or ATM withdrawals (which often incur their own fees unless you have something like the US-based Schwab debit card). On iPhone, you can set the Octopus to Express Transit mode so you can place your phone down without unlocking it at the transit gates - far more convenient than taking cards out of wallets.

Still, though, with the launch of contactless Visa cards at the MTR gates, I bet I will refrain from getting another mobile tourist Octopus (I refunded my last one) and just use my contactless Visa CC this upcoming summer.