Airport Rail Link to Accept EMV Payments in October

Bangkok’s Airport Rail Link (ARL) will begin accepting EMV contactless cards (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) for fare payment by October 2025, according to operator Asia Era One (AERA 1) and Krungthai Bank.

Devices are being installed across all eight ARL stations—Phaya Thai, Ratchaprarop, Makkasan, Ramkhamhaeng, Hua Mak, Ban Thap Chang, Lat Krabang, and Suvarnabhumi.

With this upgrade, ARL joins six other EMV-enabled lines: Red, Blue, Purple, Pink, and Yellow. Only the Green and Gold lines remain without EMV support.

The ARL carries about 70,000–80,000 passengers daily, with peaks of over 100,000 riders on heavy-use days. EMV is expected to speed boarding and reduce the need for tokens or separate transit cards.