Alipay and Yelp join forces to drive local experiences for Chinese travellers in America

Alipay, China’s biggest digital payments platform, has joined forces with San Francisco-based online review provider Yelp to bring its local content to millions of Chinese travellers through the mainland company’s mobile lifestyle app.

Their alliance follows recent efforts by Alipay to kick into high gear its international expansion when it extended a partnership with US payment processing specialist First Data Corp to cover a network of more than six million retailers and 4,000 financial institutions around the world.

“Our partnership with Yelp expedites our goal towards a digital lifestyle and represents a substantial opportunity for US businesses to connect with the growing audience of Chinese travellers that would otherwise be difficult to reach,” said Souheil Badran, the president at Alipay North America, on Wednesday in New York.

The beta launch of Yelp content on Alipay’s app this week will enable mainland Chinese visitors in New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco to easily find local restaurants, bars and shops, as well as get directions, read review snippets in English, make reservations and pay in Chinese yuan at retailers that accept Alipay.