EasyCard vs iPASS in Taipei: Which Should Visitors Buy?

Which card suits which trip?

Both cards are accepted on every transport system a typical Taipei visitor uses. The choice comes down to your route out of the country and how much effort you will spend getting the balance back.

The checks behind this table were all made on 3 October 2026. Refund points come from EasyCard's refund page and iPASS's service-centre page (modified 31 December 2025). Taoyuan Metro's stored-value card page confirms the split at the airport line. EasyCard refunds go through the card company's normal terms. For iPASS, it tells passengers to post the card back with the prepaid envelope or visit an iPASS office.

What does each card cost?

You pay a card fee, not a deposit, and you never get it back. EasyCard prices its standard card at NT$100 "with no deposit and no usable balance" (EasyCard standard card, checked 3 October 2026). iPASS says its standard card has no rental or deposit option, only the stored balance is refundable, and the card starts at NT$0 (iPASS standard card, modified 15 July 2026). Both cards hold up to NT$10,000.

Taipei Metro's own ticket page lists the EasyCard standard card at NT$120, with NT$100 as a promotional price while stock lasts, and the iPASS standard card at NT$100. It adds that the price at the counter follows whatever the card company supplies (Taipei Metro stored-value cards, data updated 7 September 2026). So expect NT$100, and don't be surprised by NT$120 at a metro desk.

EasyCard's terms cap small shop purchases at NT$1,500 a transaction and NT$3,000 a day (EasyCard usage instructions, revised October 2022). That limit applies to shop purchases, not transport fares.

Where can you buy and top up?

You can buy either card on arrival without leaving the airport line. Taoyuan Metro says EasyCard and iPASS standard cards are sold at its stations for NT$100. Its card vending and top-up machines add value in multiples of NT$100, and its information counters accept any amount. iPASS also lists the Taoyuan Airport joint e-ticket service counter as a sale point.

In the city:

• EasyCard is sold at 7-ELEVEN, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart, at Taipei Metro information desks and card machines, and at EasyCard service centres. You can top it up at any amount at Taipei and Taoyuan Metro information desks and at convenience stores showing the EasyCard logo. Taipei Metro's EasyCard machines take multiples of NT$100 (EasyCard top-up).
• iPASS is sold at the same four convenience-store chains and at Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Metro, Taichung MRT and Kaohsiung MRT station desks.

Plan to top up with New Taiwan dollar cash. Neither company's pages describe topping up a standard card with a foreign bank card; auto top-up is tied to Taiwanese co-branded or linked accounts.

Where does each card work?

Sources: Taipei Metro and Taipei's Public Transportation Office (FAQ updated 29 June 2026); iPASS coverage; EasyCard on Kaohsiung MRT; YouBike registration; all checked 3 October 2026.

On Taiwan Railway, both cards fall under one rulebook. The multi-card operating rules (effective for travel from 23 June 2025) exclude tourist and charter trains, Taroko and Puyuma expresses, Tze-Chiang 3000 trains, business cars and family cars. On other reserved-seat trains you ride without a seat. A standard card pays the local-train fare for journeys up to 50 km, even on a Tze-Chiang train, and Tze-Chiang rates apply beyond that.

High Speed Rail is the clear gap. Taiwan High Speed Rail lets only co-branded EasyCard credit cards with auto top-up turned on tap into its non-reserved cars (THSR co-branded card travel, checked 3 October 2026). iPASS likewise marks its HSR use as co-branded credit cards only. A NT$100 visitor card will not open an HSR gate.

Do you need a card at all?

Not for the metro alone. Taipei Metro accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Diners and Discover contactless cards, and Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, directly at the gates. It charges the full single-journey fare and gives no transfer discount (Taipei Metro credit card page, data updated 1 July 2026). The Taoyuan Airport MRT also takes contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay at the posted single fare (Taoyuan Metro bank-card page).

A stored-value card still earns its NT$100 if you will ride buses. The Public Transportation Office names EasyCard, iPASS and icash as the approved cards on Taipei buses. Bank cards get no transfer discount, while a standard stored-value card gets NT$8 off when you transfer directly between metro and bus within 60 minutes, in either direction. Taking YouBike, a train, the Maokong Gondola, an intercity coach, HSR or a taxi in between breaks the transfer (transfer time limit FAQ, updated 20 May 2026).

Taipei Metro's frequent-rider rebate (5–15% back based on last month's trip count) works on both cards. It pays out only when the same card passes a metro gate the following month, so a one-week visitor rarely benefits. Bank cards are excluded from it (frequent-rider scheme, checked 3 October 2026).

How do you get your balance back?

Both cards charge the same NT$20 refund fee, waived only if the card has been used at least 5 times and held for at least 3 months. A short visit usually fails the 3-month test, so expect to lose NT$20. The card is locked once refunded, and the card fee is never returned (iPASS refund FAQ; EasyCard usage instructions).

The practical sequence for EasyCard is simple: take your last metro ride, then hand the card in at that station's information desk. If you leave by the Airport MRT, the desk at a Taoyuan Metro station, including the airport terminal stations, can also refund it. With iPASS, either get to the City Hall Bus Station counter on a weekday or post the card. iPASS's FAQ gives an example of a refund collected at a Taoyuan Metro station, but its service-centre page and Taoyuan Metro's own page do not list station refunds for iPASS. Ask at the desk before you count on it.

For the ride itself, see our Taoyuan Airport to Taipei transfer guide. If you are heading south, using an iPASS on the Kaohsiung MRT covers the passes there. For wider payment planning, read cash or card in Taipei.