How China’s mobile-payment overhaul helps foreigners spend money ahead of Apec meeting
Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors
After three weeks of travelling across China, Bojan Tomic and his wife found that one of the biggest conveniences of the trip was being able to pay for daily expenses almost entirely via smartphone. The Croatian couple’s journey spanned the cities of Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and finally Shenzhen.
Visiting China for the first time, they quickly adapted to the country’s dominant mobile payment ecosystem, using Alipay and WeChat Pay, two of China’s largest payment platforms, for most of their spending. Both apps can be set up with an email address and linked to a foreign bank card.
“It’s super easy,” Tomic said. “At first, I didn’t know where to press [in the apps], but now I’ve got used to it. It’s so convenient because I don’t need to carry my wallet or any cash.”