Taiwan Travel Apps 2026: Essential Downloads Before You Land in Taipei

Taiwan is one of the easiest places in Asia to travel: the metro is spotless, Google Maps actually works, convenience stores are everywhere, and people go out of their way to help lost visitors. But the app situation has a few traps that catch almost every first-timer. The payment app locals use all day (EasyWallet) can't be registered by tourists at all. The official English metro app you'll find in old guides was retired. And since late 2025, there's a mandatory online arrival card you need to complete before you even board your flight.

Here's what you actually need on your phone for Taiwan in 2026, what changed recently, and — just as important — which apps to skip because they won't work without a Taiwanese phone number.

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The Short List

App	Category	Why you need it
Taiwan Arrival Card (web)	Entry requirement	Mandatory online form since October 2025
An eSIM (Saily / Yesim)	Connectivity	Land connected; skip the passport SIM queue
EasyCard (physical card)	Transit + payments	Metro, buses, YouBike, convenience stores
Taipei Metro Go (台北捷運Go)	Transit	Official metro app, English supported
Google Maps	Navigation	Excellent coverage across Taiwan
YouBike 2.0	Bike share	Now works with foreign credit cards
Uber or 55688	Taxis	Licensed taxis, English interface
LINE	Messaging	How hotels, guides, and drivers communicate
Uber Eats / Foodpanda	Food delivery	Both alive and competing hard

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Before You Fly: The Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC)

Since October 1, 2025, Taiwan has replaced the paper arrival card with a mandatory online version — the Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC). All foreign visitors entering visa-free or on a visitor visa must complete it before immigration; the paper cards are gone.

The important details:

• It's free and takes about five minutes at the official site: twac.immigration.gov.tw
• As of mid-2026 you can submit it up to 7 days before arrival (previously 3 days)
• You get a confirmation email, but you don't need to print anything — immigration pulls it up when they scan your passport

One warning: search results for "Taiwan arrival card" include lookalike third-party sites that charge a fee for this free form. Use the official immigration.gov.tw address and nothing else.

Get Connected: eSIM Before You Land

Buying a physical SIM in Taiwan works fine, but it requires passport registration at the counter, and the airport queues after a long-haul flight are nobody's favorite part of the trip. An eSIM installed before departure means you land with data working — which matters here, because your first tasks (airport MRT into the city, messaging your hotel on LINE) all need a connection.

Saily has competitive Taiwan plans and the easiest setup of the major providers, and Yesim offers pay-as-you-go daily rates with automatic carrier switching. If you want the full comparison of how the big eSIM providers stack up on price and coverage, we've done that in detail in our best eSIM for travel guide.

Taiwan's mobile networks are fast and coverage is excellent, including in the MRT tunnels — you lose signal in remarkably few places for a mountainous island.

EasyCard: Get the Physical Card, First Thing

The EasyCard is Taiwan's stored-value card and the closest thing to a universal key for the country. One tap covers the Taipei MRT, city buses, intercity trains, YouBike rentals, and payments at more than 10,000 shops — including every 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, which in Taiwan function as a second public utility.

What to know:

• Buy it on arrival at any MRT station or convenience store. The card costs NT$100 (about US$3), which is a non-refundable deposit — think of it as the price of the card.
• Top up with cash at MRT station machines or any convenience store counter. Top-up is cash-only in most places, so keep some NT$ on you.
• MRT fares get a discount when you pay with EasyCard instead of single-journey tokens, plus transfer discounts between metro and bus.
• You can also pre-order one through Klook alongside discounted high-speed rail tickets if you like having things sorted before you land.

As of August 2026 you still can't add an EasyCard to Apple Wallet — iPhone users need to carry the physical card. The mobile EasyCard options that do exist are built around Taiwan-market Android phones and resident accounts, so for visitors the plastic card remains the answer. It's a small anachronism in an otherwise very digital country.

The EasyWallet Trap: Why Tourists Can't Use Taiwan's Own Payment App

This is the caveat that most guides skip, and it's the one that answers the question people keep searching for: does EasyWallet work for foreigners? For short-term visitors, no.

EasyWallet (悠遊付) is EasyCard Corporation's payment app — locals use it to top up their cards, pay by QR code, and check balances. But registration requires a Taiwanese mobile number plus a Taiwan national ID or resident certificate (ARC). If you're visiting on a visa-waiver or tourist visa, you can't create an account, full stop. The app is also almost entirely in Mandarin.

The same pattern applies to LINE Pay and most local QR payment apps: they're built for residents with local banks and local numbers.

What to do instead:

• Use the physical EasyCard with cash top-ups — it does everything a tourist needs
• Pay by contactless Visa/Mastercard where cards are accepted (widespread in cities)
• Carry cash for night markets and small restaurants

Don't burn time at the airport trying to make EasyWallet work. It isn't you; it's the registration requirements.

Getting Around Taipei: Taipei Metro Go and Google Maps

The Taipei MRT is genuinely one of the world's best metro systems — clean, cheap, air-conditioned, and signed in English everywhere.

The official app situation changed recently, and older guides will point you to a dead app. The standalone English app "Go! Taipei Metro" has been retired — its App Store listing is gone. The current official app from Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation is 台北捷運Go, listed in English as Taipei Metro Go, and it supports English, Japanese, and Korean — tap the language button in the top corner of the home screen. It gives you the route map, fastest-route planner, next-train times, station exit information (which matters — big stations have a dozen exits), and nearby YouBike stations.

Unlike South Korea, where Google Maps famously can't route you, Google Maps works properly in Taiwan — walking, driving, and public transit directions are all reliable. It's your default navigation app here; no local substitute needed.

A few MRT etiquette notes that apps won't teach you: no eating or drinking past the fare gates (it's enforced), stand on the right of escalators, and the dark blue seats are priority seating that locals genuinely leave empty.

YouBike 2.0: Now Actually Usable by Tourists

Taiwan's public bike-share, YouBike 2.0, used to be effectively locals-only because registration demanded a Taiwanese phone number. That has changed, and it's one of the best recent upgrades for visitors.

As of 2026:

• Tourists can register in the YouBike 2.0 app with an email address — no Taiwan number needed
• The "Single Rental" option lets you bind a foreign Visa, Mastercard, or JCB credit card at supported stations
• Since January 2026, every rider must register for the free public bicycle injury insurance before their first ride — it takes a couple of minutes in the app, and a passport number works in place of a Taiwan ID

The app's map shows live bike and dock availability at every station. Rides in Taipei are cheap (the first 30 minutes cost pennies with most city schemes), and the riverside bike paths along the Tamsui and Keelung rivers are some of the nicest urban cycling in Asia.

Taxis: Uber Works, 55688 Is Cheaper

Uber operates in Taipei and other major cities, and it solves the real problem for visitors: many taxi drivers don't speak English, and explaining a destination can be hard. Your existing Uber account works, the interface is in English, and pricing is upfront and cashless. One local quirk worth knowing: in Taipei, Uber rides are now fulfilled by licensed taxi drivers in registered taxis — you're effectively e-hailing the yellow cab fleet with better UX.

For cheaper fares, 55688 (Taiwan Taxi) is the country's largest taxi dispatcher, with an app that has a workable English option. It books the same metered yellow taxis at the metered price, which is often meaningfully cheaper than Uber during peak demand. Taxis themselves are safe, honest, and metered everywhere — the apps are about language and convenience, not safety.

For how ride-hailing differs across the region, see our country-by-country ride-hailing guide.

Food: LINE, Uber Eats, and Foodpanda

LINE is not optional in Taiwan. It's the dominant messaging app by a huge margin, and it's how the country communicates: hotels confirm bookings on LINE, tour guides create trip groups on LINE, private drivers send pickup details on LINE, and small restaurants take reservations on LINE. Install it and set up your account before you arrive; WhatsApp is only useful for talking to other travelers.

Food delivery is a genuine two-horse race. Regulators blocked Uber's US$950 million acquisition of Foodpanda Taiwan (the Fair Trade Commission ruled the combined company would control over 90% of the market, and Uber walked away in early 2025), so both Uber Eats and Foodpanda are alive and competing — good news for prices. Uber Eats has the more English-friendly interface; Foodpanda's coverage is at least as deep. Either will deliver bubble tea to your hotel at 11pm, which you will do at least once.

For night markets — the best eating in Taiwan — no app helps. Bring cash, follow the longest queue, and point.

Money: Cards in Cities, Cash at the Markets

Taiwan is more cash-driven than Japan or Korea at street level. International cards are widely accepted at hotels, department stores, chain restaurants, and convenience stores, but night markets, traditional breakfast shops, and many small restaurants are cash-only.

A sensible setup:

• A Wise card for spending and for ATM withdrawals at the mid-market rate — ATMs are everywhere (every 7-Eleven has one), and pulling out NT$ a few thousand at a time beats airport exchange counters
• Your EasyCard for transit and convenience-store purchases
• A cash reserve for markets and small eats

Tipping is not expected anywhere — restaurants that charge service include it in the bill.

The Checklist

Before you board:

1. Submit the Taiwan Arrival Card at the official site (free, within 7 days of arrival)
2. Install an eSIM (Saily or Yesim) so you land connected
3. Download: Taipei Metro Go, Google Maps, YouBike 2.0, Uber, LINE, Uber Eats or Foodpanda
4. Set up LINE with your photo and name — you'll be sharing it with hotels and guides

On arrival:

5. Buy an EasyCard at the airport MRT station and top it up with cash
6. Skip EasyWallet — it won't register without a Taiwan number, and you don't need it

Taiwan rewards very little pre-planning beyond this. The full app list with categories, alternatives, and travel tips is on our Taiwan country page — and once the EasyCard is in your pocket and LINE is on your phone, the country more or less runs itself.