Tencent’s WeChat Pay to accept Visa cards to help foreign tourists survive in cashless China

Tencent will let foreign users link their Visa cards to their WeChat mobile payments accounts from July, after a similar move by Alipay
This will allow tourists to use their smartphones to pay tens of millions of Chinese merchants that already accept the domestic version of WeChat Pay

Tencent

Iris Dengin Shenzhen

Published: 5:00pm, 28 Jun 2023

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Foreign tourists may find it easier to pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and attraction tickets in China’s cashless society from next month, as Tencent Holdings begins to facilitate payments by Visa and other international bank cards through WeChat Pay, following a similar move by Ant Group’s Alipay.

WeChat Pay and Alipay, the two dominant Chinese mobile payments services, had for years limited the use of foreign bank cards due to the government’s rigid financial and data controls.

After the country reopened its borders to overseas visitors earlier this year, difficulties in making everyday payments have become a frequent source of complaints.

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Shenzhen-based Tencent plans to change that by letting foreign users link their credit or debit cards issued by Visa and other major international operators from July, said Royal Chen Qiru, vice-president of Tencent Financial Technology, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions on Wednesday.

The move will allow travellers to use their smartphones to pay tens of millions of merchants across China, from shops to hotels to transport providers, that already accept the domestic version of WeChat Pay.

“Tencent has been working hard to provide greater access to China’s online and offline merchants for overseas visitors under the guidance of relevant regulatory bodies and policies,” Chen said at the event held in the Chinese port city Tianjin, also known as Summer Davos.

It comes after Alipay, operated by Alibaba Group Holding affiliate Ant, announced this month it would allow foreign users to pay in China with Mastercard credit or debit cards. The platform also supports overseas bank cards issued by Visa, Diners Club International and Discover, according to Alipay.

Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes displayed at a vegatable market in Beijing. Photo: AFP

In recent years, China has increasingly moved towards being a cashless society that is highly reliant on digital and mobile payments. However, the leap has also left behind certain users, including the less tech-savvy elderly population, as well as foreign visitors who usually do not possess a Chinese bank account.

In November 2019, Alipay launched Tour Pass, which allowed foreign visitors to add funds from an international credit or debit card to shop online with Alipay or use the app to pay at shops and restaurants.

In the same month, WeChat started to allow overseas visitors to pay with credit cards on selected platforms such as ride-hailing services Didi Chuxing and China’s official train ticketing site “12306”. Payments partners included Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Global Network and JCB.

The number of online payments users in China surpassed 911 million in December 2022, accounting for around 85 per cent of the country’s internet population, according to the latest report by China Internet Network Information Centre.