China’s Alipay and WeChat Pay ease the way for foreign travellers to make payments in world’s largest cashless society

Alipay raised foreign visitors’ transaction limits, while travellers can link their overseas bank cards to WeChat Pay without ‘complete information’
Those initiatives come after Chinese authorities on Thursday published new guidelines to deliver more convenient payment services for foreign visitors

Mobile payments

Kelly Le

Published: 9:00pm, 8 Mar 2024

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China’s two dominant mobile payment services providers, Alipay owner Ant Group and WeChat Pay operator Tencent Holdings, are enhancing operations to make it easier for foreign travellers to pay for goods and services on the mainland, the world’s largest cashless society.

Those initiatives come after the General Office of the State Council on Thursday published new guidelines towards “providing higher-quality, more effective and more convenient payment services” for foreign visitors, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.

Ant Group has raised foreign travellers’ single-transaction limit on Alipay to US$5,000 from US$1,000, the Chinese financial technology giant said in a statement. The company is an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

Alipay’s annual cumulative transaction limit for foreign visitors has also been increased to US$50,000, up from the previous US$10,000 limit, in line with a new People’s Bank of China policy, the group said.

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How mobile payments impact people’s lives in China

Hangzhou-based Ant Group’s Alipay+ network already supports various Asian e-wallets and payment apps on the mainland, including Hong Kong’s AlipayHK, MPay from Macau, South Korea’s Kakao Pay and TrueMoney from Thailand.

Tencent on Thursday said foreign visitors on the mainland are now allowed to bind their international bank cards to WeChat Pay without “complete information”.

The Shenzhen-based internet giant said it was also developing a top-up payment plan for foreign visitors, who choose not to tie their international bank cards to WeChat Pay, to add small sums of money to the payment service.

The latest moves by Alipay and WeChat Pay show a concerted effort by Chinese Big Tech firms to support Beijing’s plan for a post-pandemic revival of the country’s tourism industry.

China’s cashless-society shift is keeping foreign tourists from opening wallets

Many foreign tourists have long found it difficult to pay for goods and services on the mainland, where contactless payment has become the norm. These travellers also face barriers to fully enjoy mobile payment services in the country, owing to Beijing’s rigid financial and data control laws.

China’s mobile payments sector covers nearly every aspect of people’s daily life, including public transport, travel, ride hailing, online and offline retail, convenience stores, food and grocery deliveries, restaurants and online video gaming.

As of June 2023, about 943 million people in mainland China used mobile payments, bolstering the country’s status as the world’s largest cashless society.

China’s internet giants must step up opening their ‘walled gardens’: state media

Under the new guidelines published by Chinese authorities, domestic establishments must also expedite the use of cash and currency exchanges. All large business districts, tourist attractions, hotels, hospitals and other key locations are required to support diversified payment options, including via bank cards and cash.

The guidelines also directed payment services to provide more convenience to senior citizen users who are not tech-savvy.

Both Alipay and WeChat Pay have already launched so-called elder mode functions for senior citizens using their apps, displaying a simplified user interface and bigger text.