Visa and Mastercard Now Accepted on China’s Top Payment Apps

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Visa and Mastercard Now Accepted on China’s Top Payment Apps

As of July 2023, foreign travellers can now enjoy a more convenient experience when visiting China, thanks to recent updates in the country’s most popular mobile payment platforms. Both Alipay and WeChat Pay have announced that international users can link their Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB, or Discover cards to their digital wallets, allowing them to make seamless transactions while travelling. This advancement opens up countless possibilities, enabling international travellers to make purchases at millions of outlets across the country with ease, including shopping, dining, hotel accommodations, and transportation.

We have created the video below to help guide visitors through the process of setting up WeChat Pay.

China has become a near-cashless society, with electronic transactions amounting to a staggering $434 trillion annually. Over 80 per cent of daily consumption transactions occur on mobile platforms, according to figures from Chinese card payment company UnionPay. However, until now, accessing these mobile payment apps’ services was challenging for foreign visitors as they required a mainland Chinese bank account and a local mobile phone number.

In 2019, Alipay and WeChat started accepting foreign credit cards on their platforms, but this option was limited to select Chinese merchants. With the latest changes, visitors to China can now enjoy the same convenience and ‘pay like a local’ without the hassle of carrying cash or opening a Chinese bank account.

China is now open for international tourism and has resumed issuing visas for foreign travellers. For more information, or to start planning your next journey with us, contact our team of dedicated travel professionals.

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