Octopus launches online payments for shopping on Taobao

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Android-only service allows registered users to pay for goods up to a daily limit of HK$1,000

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Published: 1:33am, 19 Feb 2014

Hong Kong's 1.4 million Taobao Marketplace users will soon be able to pay for purchases by Octopus card.

Octopus is teaming up with Alipay, the mainland's leading third-party online payment solution, and e-commerce platform Taobao to launch online payment services in Hong Kong.

To use the service, purchasers will need to have a near-field-communication-enabled (NFC) mobile device and an Octopus card registered on Octopus' Android application. While most Android smartphones already feature NFC, American tech giant Apple's iPhones do not, which means iPhone users will not be able to access the service.

Before using an Octopus card to make a purchase on Taobao, the Octopus App 3.0.0 must be downloaded from Google Play. It must be updated if a previous version was downloaded.

New users are required to register their Octopus number, with the service becoming active after 24 hours.

After selecting desired products on Taobao or Tmall.com on their computer or pad, those who have registered can then choose Octopus as their means of payment. After opening the app on their phone, and they must scan the QR code shown on the computer screen, or type in the payment code provided by the computer, and then place the Octopus at the back of the mobile phone.

The daily payment limit is capped at HK$1,000 and the service will charge a 1.5 per cent service fee on the total transaction amount of each purchase. The exchange rate is set by Alipay.