Bangkok BTS and MRT: How to Buy a Ticket and Actually Use It

 Bangkok has two separate rail systems run by two different companies. BTS runs above ground, MRT runs underground, and a ticket for one does not work on the other. There is no free transfer between them. Knowing just that saves most first-timers a lot of confusion.


The two systems

BTS Skytrain runs on elevated tracks. It has the Sukhumvit Line and the Silom Line, and most hotels, malls and nightlife sit along these two lines. MRT is the underground metro. You need it for Chinatown, Chatuchak and the Hua Lamphong area.

Fares

BTS Green Line: 17 to 65 baht BTS Gold Line: 17 baht flat MRT Blue Line: 17 to 44 baht

Fares are distance based and calculated automatically.

The 20-baht flat fare does not apply to you

Thailand runs a policy capping electric train fares at 20 baht per trip. It applies only to Thai nationals who register with a Thai ID card. Long-term foreign residents are excluded too. Tourists pay the standard fares above. Plenty of visitors read a news article about this and arrive expecting 20 baht.

Buying a BTS ticket, step by step

One. Find the ticket machines next to the gates. Two. Look at the route map on the wall or above the machine and find your destination. Every station has a code. Asok is E4, Siam is CEN. Three. Press your destination code on the screen. The fare appears. Four. Press the number of passengers. Five. Insert money.

This is where most people get stuck. Older machines take coins only, which means 10, 5, 2 and 1 baht coins. Newer machines also accept 20, 50 and 100 baht notes. Look for a horizontal slot on the machine to see whether notes go in.

If you have no coins, go to the ticket office beside the gates. There is always one. Hand over a note, say your destination, and staff will either sell you the ticket directly or give you coins. "Change for coins, please" works fine. Ticket office staff speak English.

Six. You get a thin plastic card. Take your change too.

Getting through the gates

Going in, tap the card on the round sensor and the gate opens. Coming out, you do not tap. You insert the card into a slot and the machine keeps it. This catches a lot of visitors, who stand there tapping a card that will not open the gate.


Buying an MRT ticket

MRT gives you a black plastic token that looks like a large coin. The machines work much the same way and generally accept notes. Tap the token on the sensor to enter. Drop the token into a slot to exit.

MRT payment is changing

Old MRT stored-value cards stopped accepting top-ups on 1 April 2026 and stopped working on 1 June 2026. Single-journey tokens are due to be phased out from 1 January 2027. The replacement is EMV contactless: you tap a contactless credit or debit card straight on the gate. If your card has the wave symbol on it, it should work. Check your card before you fly. For now, short-stay visitors can simply buy tokens.

The Rabbit Card is BTS only

The Rabbit Card works on BTS, not on MRT. It costs 120 baht to issue, there is no deposit, and the minimum top-up is 100 baht. Worth it if you are staying several days and riding BTS often, mostly because you stop hunting for coins.

Interchange stations have two different names

The same physical interchange has one name on BTS and another on MRT.

Asok (BTS) and Sukhumvit (MRT) Sala Daeng (BTS) and Si Lom (MRT) Mo Chit (BTS) and Chatuchak Park (MRT) Bang Wa (BTS) and Bang Wa (MRT)

You exit one system, buy a new ticket and enter the other. It is not a free transfer.

Practical notes

Both systems run roughly 6am to midnight. Rush hours are genuinely crowded. Avoid 7:30 to 9am and 5 to 7pm. No eating or drinking on trains, water included. There are fines. The Airport Rail Link is a third separate system. Change to BTS at Phaya Thai. On rainy days the elevated BTS is far more comfortable, since skywalks connect it directly to the malls.


In short

BTS and MRT are separate systems with separate tickets Go to the ticket office if you have no coins Insert your BTS card and your MRT token to exit, do not tap The 20-baht flat fare is for Thai nationals only The Rabbit Card works on BTS only

Staying several days? A Rabbit Card saves you hunting for coins every trip. Coming from the airport, compare the four routes in before you queue. And the easiest first stop off the Asok platform is Terminal 21.

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