By Laura He, CNN
Visiting China just got a whole lot easier for international travelers.
Starting Friday, visitors are able to link their Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) accounts to China’s most popular mobile payment platforms, allowing them to book taxis, ride the subway and pay for goods and services at millions of outlets across the near-cashless country.
The move marks a revival of efforts by Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept foreign credit cards after they provided some limited access in late 2019. The companies said previously that they were acting under the guidance of Chinese regulators, as Beijing seeks to attract foreign investment and international travelers to boost its flagging economy.
Alipay, China’s largest payment app operated by Ant Group, announced on Friday that overseas users can link cards issued by Visa and Mastercard, as well as Diners Club and Discover to their digital wallets. The change takes effect immediately.
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A day earlier, Tencent (TCEHY), which owns the country’s second most popular payment app WeChat Pay, made a similar announcement. WeChat Pay is officially known as Weixin Pay in China.
WeChat users can now link credit or debit cards issued by Visa, Mastercard, JCB or Discover for payment at tens of millions of merchants in China, the social media and gaming company said.
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Last month, Mastercard announced that its cardholders can “pay like a local” in China by linking their cards to the Alipay app and making cashless payments at tens of millions of merchants across the country. The move was expanding on a partnership established in 2019 between the two companies, Mastercard said.
“As travel and tourism rebound, Mastercard is delighted to partner with Alipay to enable cardholders worldwide to enjoy the ultimate in payments security, convenience, and peace of mind as they work, play, rest, and roam during their journeys to China,” Dennis Chang, executive vice president and division president for Greater China at Mastercard, said in a statement.
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source: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/21/tech/china-alipay-wechat-pay-international-credit-cards-intl-hnk/index.html