Alipay, WeChat accept overseas cards for payment

WeChat Pay and Alipay announced they will now allow overseas cards like Visa and Mastercard to be added to their pay accounts, in order to facilitate mobile payment for overseas users in China, following the full resumption of travel and international business activities in China.

With international events such as the 31st FISU Summer World University Games being held in Chengdu and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, the number of inbound people continues to grow. The move by the two domestic mobile payment giants will greatly enhance the mobile payment experience for inbound users and further promote the opening-up policy, experts said.

Alipay said on Friday that it has completed support for overseas users to use mobile payments in China. After adding an overseas bank card to an Alipay account, foreign users can use it nationwide whether paying at an offline store or taking a taxi.

Tencent announced on Thursday that it is deepening its collaboration with international card organizations including Visa, Discover Global Network, JCB and Mastercard in order to further improve overseas users' digital payment experience in China, a move that coincides with the full resumption of travel to China and major international events in the country.

It added that transaction fees are waived for single transactions under 200 yuan ($27.85) via WeChat Pay. A 3 percent transaction fee will be applied for single transactions above 200 yuan.

Foreign users should first download or update the related app to the latest version and register with their phone number or sign in. After filling in their personal identity information, users can add a card to the account and complete the process.

International cards can be used for everyday purchases including dining, hotels, entertainment and healthcare within the Chinese mainland.

Experts said that the move is conducive for improving the experience of foreigners coming to China for business and travel, and creating a more favorable environment for economic opening-up and high-quality "dual circulation" of domestic and international markets.