As China continues to refine its digital payment service systems, foreign visitors are experiencing unprecedented ease in making cashless transactions across the country. From seamless QR code transactions to cross-border digital wallet integration, the country’s latest innovations are transforming travel – just in time for major international events like the recently concluded 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. With 37 point-of-sale terminals deployed across the event’s venues to facilitate seamless payments via foreign bank cards, visitors from outside China were able to experience firsthand the convenience such technology provides. As a result of the nation’s intensified efforts to improve the digital payment experience for international travelers, those visitors can now make payments through two options: one allows them to link their foreign bank cards directly to domestic payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, while the other enables them to make payments using their own foreign digital wallets without downloading additional Chinese apps.
According to local government data, over 860,000 mobile payment transactions were processed for foreign visitors in Heilongjiang between January 2024 and January 2025, marking a 4.9-fold increase year-on-year. The total transaction value exceeded CNY190 million during the same period, up 8.1 times year-on-year, with more than 144,000 foreign users benefiting from these services, a 5.8-fold increase. “Many foreign visitors are adopting mobile payments, and we as a bank are actively guiding them to experience the convenience of digital platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay,” said a representative from Harbin Bank, adding that based on their observations, most foreign users appreciate the seamless experience very much – whether shopping, dining or commuting – without the need to carry cash or physical bank cards. “Paying for public transportation via QR codes in mobile apps is incredibly convenient,” said Ho Xuan Ni, a Malaysian student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. In contrast to physical transport cards, Ho said digital payments have greatly helped eliminate the need to carry extra cards and constantly check account balances.
A recent study by BFSU on the mobile payment experience of foreign visitors in China found that around 90% of foreign millennials and Generation Z travelers adopted mobile payment methods, showing their widespread global popularity. Additionally, about 78% of all surveyed visitors reported using mobile payments while in China, with 74.36% were already aware of these options before their trips. “The high pre-travel awareness and actual adoption rates of mobile payments among foreign visitors indicate that China’s digital payment ecosystem has to some extent posed a spillover effect on global payment habits, but there is still a difference in payment methods,” said Wu Hao, Executive Director of the Institute of Silk Road Studies of BFSU. Unlike previously, visitors can now use digital payments for ride-hailing, hotel bookings, attraction tickets, public transport and tax payments. “With the gradual adoption of emerging payment methods in China, such as “tap-and-go”, palm print recognition and facial recognition, foreign visitors are expected to experience a wider range of payment innovations in the country,” Wu said.
The impact of the improved payment system is reflected in rising transaction volumes. According to the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday from January 28 to February 3, foreign visitor payment transactions processed by China UnionPay and NetsUnion increased by 127.3% in volume and 93.5% in value year-on-year, respectively. Ant Group also said that during the first five days of the holiday, foreign tourists’ spending via Alipay more than doubled compared to the previous year, while the number of Chinese merchants catering to foreign customers through the platform also doubled. Meanwhile, WeChat Pay reported a 134% leap in cross-border transactions during the holiday period as well.
To further enhance payment convenience, domestic fintech players have introduced innovations for inbound travelers. For example, Alipay has allowed foreign users to directly link their international credit or debit cards to their digital account, while Alipay+ cross-border services allow visitors to make purchases in the Chinese mainland using their e-wallets, such as AlipayHK (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Mpay (Macao SAR), Touch ’n Go eWallet (Malaysia) and TrueMoney Wallet (Thailand), among the 13 overseas e-wallets from 10 countries and regions.
However, despite progress, some foreign travelers still face challenges such as complex identity verification and language barriers. “I’ve seen my Chinese friends make payments using facial recognition, while we still have to scan QR codes, which can be inconvenient in certain situations,” said Tong Ho Phuong Thuy, a Vietnamese expatriate in China, who also called for payment apps to provide more human-operated customer support tailored to overseas users. Payment platforms are expected to further integrate with international systems, streamline account registration and identity verification, and consolidate travel services into a one-stop platform, said Zhang Jingze, Researcher involved in the BFSU study. “A unified travel service app – combining payments, transportation, accommodation, ticket bookings, dining, navigation, recommendations and translation – would significantly enhance the experience for foreign visitors,” Zhang said. Moreover, there is still room for improvement in making current mobile payment platforms more senior-friendly, the China Daily reports.
