Octopus Card for Kids in Hong Kong: Cost, Where to Buy & Free Travel
Sorting out an Octopus card for kids in Hong Kong is simpler than it looks, but there are two things worth knowing before you queue at a counter: a Child Octopus only matters for ages 3 to 11, and under-3s ride the MTR free anyway. Get the right card and your child pays a discounted fare on the MTR, the main bus networks and the ferries instead of the full adult one. Here is who actually needs a card, what it costs, and where to pick one up.
Does your child need an Octopus card at all?
It depends on age. Children under 3 travel free on the MTR, so a toddler does not need a card or a ticket on the trains. From the day they turn 3 until they are 11, kids qualify for concessionary child fares, which are cheaper than the adult fare, and a Child Octopus is what unlocks that discount automatically when they tap. Once a child turns 12 they move onto a standard adult Octopus and pay the adult rate.
So the short version: under 3, skip the card; ages 3 to 11, get a Child Octopus; 12 and over, they use a normal adult card. One thing to plan around on the MTR is that a young child travelling on a concessionary fare should be with a fare-paying adult, so you are tapping two cards through the gate, not one.
What a Child Octopus costs
There are two kinds of child card and they are priced differently.
The On-Loan Child Octopus is the standard reusable card. It costs HK$100 at the counter: a refundable HK$50 deposit plus HK$50 of travel value already loaded on it. The deposit is exactly that, refundable, so you get it back when you return the card, less an HK$11 handling fee if you hand it back within 90 days of buying it. After that there is no fee to return it.
The Sold Tourist Octopus also comes in a child version, priced at HK$39 with no deposit and no stored value on it, so you add your own value before you travel. It is designed as a keepsake, so children can hang on to it after the trip rather than returning it. If you would rather have one card that also works on the metro in mainland China and Macao, the Tourist Octopus China T-Union version comes as a child card too, at HK$42. For a full breakdown of the adult pricing alongside these, our guide to what an Octopus card costs lays out every option.
Where to buy an Octopus card for kids
The On-Loan Child Octopus is sold over the counter at MTR Customer Service Centres, the staffed desks beside the gates at most stations. The one catch worth knowing: the Airport Station counter does not stock the Standard On-Loan cards, and neither do a handful of smaller stations, so do not count on grabbing a child card the moment you land. Pick one up at the first proper downtown station you pass through, or at a Customer Service Centre on your line.
The Sold Tourist Octopus, including the child version, is the easier one to find on arrival and is widely sold, including at the airport. If you want the cards waiting for you before you fly, you can pre-order the Tourist Octopus on Klook and collect it at the airport, pre-loaded, then sort the kids' cards at a station counter once you are in town. Our rundown of where to buy an Octopus card covers every pickup point in detail.
Loading and using a kids' card
A Child Octopus tops up exactly like an adult one. Pay cash at any 7-Eleven, Circle K or supermarket, use an Add Value Machine at a station, or reload it from the Octopus app. Top-ups on a child card come in multiples of HK$50, the same as the adult version, and the card holds a maximum of HK$3,000. For a few days of family travel you will rarely need more than HK$100 or so on each child's card at a time. Our guide to topping up an Octopus card walks through every method.
Each child needs their own card. You cannot tap one card twice to bring two children through an MTR gate, and only a Child Octopus gives the child fare, so sharing one card between siblings does not work if you want the discount. The card itself does not know how old its holder is, so carry your child's passport in case staff ask for proof of age, especially as they near 12. If you are also sorting a card for an older relative, the same concession logic applies to the senior Octopus card for travellers aged 65 and over.
Quick answers
How much is the Octopus card for kids? A reusable On-Loan Child Octopus costs HK$100 at the counter, made up of a refundable HK$50 deposit and HK$50 of travel value. The souvenir Sold Tourist child card is HK$39 with no deposit and no value loaded.
Do kids need to pay for the MTR in Hong Kong? Children under 3 travel free on the MTR. From ages 3 to 11 they pay a discounted concessionary fare, which a Child Octopus applies automatically. From 12, they pay the adult fare.
Can foreigners buy an Octopus card in Hong Kong? Yes. Anyone can buy one, child or adult, at the airport or an MTR counter with no local account or ID needed, and you can pre-order a Tourist Octopus online before you travel.
Can I use one Octopus card for two children? No. Each child needs their own Child Octopus, both to tap through MTR gates separately and to get the child fare. One card cannot be tapped twice for two travellers on the same train.
Where do I buy a Child Octopus card? The reusable On-Loan child card is sold at MTR Customer Service Centres at most stations, though not at the Airport Station counter. The souvenir Tourist child card is sold at the airport and stations.
