China received 30.5m international tourists in 2018 who spent US$73.1 billion from lodging to shopping and food, Ant Financial says. It was a tremendous innovation for international tourists that Alipay announced the newly launched international version of Alipay APP through its official Twitter account on the 5th of November 2019.
Why should international visitors choose Alipay in China instead of other payment solutions?
- Easy to use, in line with local (Chinese) payment habits.
- More convenient, from now on, international visitors do not need a Chinese phone number to sign up.
- Alipay nearly covers all aspects of life in China, includes ticket services, hotels, restaurants, and transportation.
How to pay with your smartphone in China using Alipay?
Step 1: Create account
Users can download the Alipay app on the App Store (for iOS users) or Google Play Store (for Android users) and sign up with their overseas mobile phone number.
Step 2: Add funds
Users can use their international debit or credit cards to top up an e-prepaid card issued by Bank of Shanghai. To finish the top-up, they are also required to fill in their passport information and take a picture of their Chinese visa for identity verification. The minimum top-up value is RMB100 (GBP￡11), while the maximum top-up value is RMB2,000 (GBP￡220), and this e-prepaid card is valid for 90 days. Once it is expired, the remaining balance will be refunded to the user.
Step 3: Make the payment
There are two ways for international visitors using Alipay in China. For on location payments, just tap the “Pay” button to load your personal QR code that can be scanned by retailers. Meanwhile, user can also tap the “Scan” button then scan merchant’s QR code to finish payment.
