Alipay, the digital payment service run by Ant Group, has updated its app's international interface to support overseas travelers to China, including facilitating credit card purchases made via Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, Discover and JCB. The update was made ahead of the 2023 Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, from September 23 to October 8, according to Ant’s announcement at the Alipay Partner Conference. Holders of those popular credit cards are encouraged to register and link their card information with Alipay so that they can make payments to tens of millions of merchants across China via its app, which is a ubiquitous digital settlement platform nationwide along with Tencent Holdings WeChat Pay.
Ant, an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, initially announced in June its plan for Alipay to support overseas travelers who use those major credit cards issued by foreign financial services providers. “We will continue to optimize our products and services to better serve international visitors to China by enhancing their travel experience with convenient mobile payment services,” Jin Yaoyao, Alipay’s product lead in charge of its app’s international version, said in a statement. “We also encourage more merchants and service providers operating digitally on the Alipay platform to enhance their services for international travelers.”
Alipay’s latest initiative underscores efforts in China to make it easier for foreign tourists and the country’s less tech-savvy elderly population to integrate into a cashless society, in which contactless payment has become the norm. Hangzhou is desperate for overseas travelers amid a slowdown in inbound tourism. The city has accommodated 53 million visitors in the first half of this year, but the number of cross-border travelers – both inbound and outbound – via its international airport reached only 877,000 in the same period.
The Alipay app’s updated international interface now provides multiple language options and an easy-to-use translation tool. It also integrates travel services, including hotel and air-ticket booking, ride-hailing, public transport and exchange rate comparisons. The updated version also includes services related to the Asian Games through the “Smart Hangzhou” mini-program, Ant said, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
