China’s mobile payment leaders Alipay and WeChat Pay Apps allow consumers who use foreign cards. Therefore, this means visitors can use their platform when they visit China mainland.
According to Alipay’s official tweet account, Alipay announced its plans to open itself up to tourists. That means foreign visitors can download the Alipay app in the APP store or Android store. To enjoy cashless convenience, foreign visitors need to connect the Alipay account with a prepaid international bank card. Moreover, Alipay allows visitors to use its platform even if the bank card is from foreign banks.
As to WeChat payment, they plan to link its platform to five foreign credit card organisations. These organisations include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and JCB. This will support the overseas credit card service for WeChat Pay.
These two giant mobile payment companies only accepted Chinese bank accounts in the past. Therefore, foreign visitors would need to have a Chinese bank account to use Alipay or WeChat Pay. The transaction might be a little confusing for international consumers. Moreover, to operate a Chinese local bank card, foreign visitors must apply and enter their personal information. Then they need to purchase the credits that Chinese banks offer. Considering the new methods that Alipay and WeChat payment provided, new methods are simple and effective.
GlobePay is the official payment provider of Alipay and WeChat Pay, helping UK businesses to accept these two big payment solutions. Therefore, we believe with the international trend of both Alipay and WeChat Pay, more sales will be driven to your businesses by accepting them.
