Mobile payments by tourists in China rise sixfold

The number of international tourists using mobile payment services quadrupled.

The number of international tourists who used mobile payment services in China quadrupled between March and August 2024, compared to the preceding six-month period, according to Ant Group.

Transaction volume of inbound tourists using Ant-supported mobile payment services grew sixfold over the period, said Cyril Han, president and CFO of Ant Group, speaking at the 2024 INCLUSION Conference at the Bund. 

The number of Chinese merchants that regularly service overseas travelers has also tripled over the same period, Han said.

The growth follows Ant Group’s launch of the International Consumer Friendly Zones program in March, which has since expanded to 70 cities in China.

Alipay+ supports 13 leading e-wallets and payment apps in Asia for use across an 80-million-strong merchant network in China, an increase from  10 payment partners in 2023. 

Support wallets and apps include Alipay HK, Kaspi.kz (Kazakhsatan), MPay (Macao), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), NayaPay (Pakistan), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand), and GCash (the Philippines).

Tourists can also pay via their bank cards tied with Visa, Mastercard, JCB Discover, Diners Club International, and UnionPay International. 

Alipay is also gearing up to support American Express, which has recently received approval for an inbound wallet solution in China.