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 ofmillions of Chinese merchants that already accept the domestic version of WeChat Pay.
Foreign tourists visiting China will soon have an easier time making cash less payments for various services, thanks to Tencent Holdings and itspopular mobile payment service, WeChat Pay. Tencent plans to enable payments through international bank cards, including Visa, starting from next month. This move follows a similar initiative by AntGroup's Alipay.
Foreign bank cards on these platforms were limited due to financial and datacontrols, however, with China reopening its borders to overseas visitors, the difficulty in making everyday payments has become acommon complaint.
Royal Chen Qiru, the Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions that Tencent would allow foreign users to link their creditor debit cards issued by Visa and other major international operatorsfrom July.
This development will enable travelers to conveniently use theirsmartphones for payments at millions of merchants across China thatalready accept the domestic version of WeChat Pay. Chen emphasized Tencent's commitment to enhancing access to China's online and offline merchants for overseas visitors, working in accordance withrelevant regulatory bodies and policies.
Alipay, operated by Ant Group's affiliate Alibaba Group Holding, alsorecently announced that foreign users would be able to pay in Chinausing Mastercard credit or debit cards. Additionally, Alipay supports overseas bank cards issued by Visa, Diners Club International and Discover.
Chinahas been steadily moving toward becoming a cashless society heavilyreliant on digital and mobile payments. However, this transformationhas left certain groups behind, including the less tech-savvy elderly population and foreign visitors who typically do not possess a Chinese bank account.
In November 2019, Alipay introduced Tour Pass, enabling foreign visitors to add funds from international credit or debit cards for online shopping and in-store payments using Alipay. During the same month, WeChat began accepting credit cards for payment on selected platformssuch as ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing and China's official trainticketing site, "12306." Payment partners included Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Global Network, and JCB. Scmp
继支付宝采取类似举措后，腾讯将从7月起允许外国用户将信用卡关联到微信移动支付账户
这将允许游客使用智能手机向已经接受国内版微信支付的数千万中国商家付款
得益于腾讯控股及其广受欢迎的移动支付服务微信支付，到访中国的外国游客很快将更容易为各种服务进行无现金支付。腾讯计划从下个月开始启用包括信用卡在内的国际银行卡支付。此前，蚂蚁集团旗下的支付宝也采取了类似举措。
由于金融和数据控制，这些平台上的外国银行卡受到限制，然而，随着中国对海外游客重新开放边境，日常支付的困难已成为一种常见的抱怨。
腾讯金融科技副总裁陈起儒在世界经济论坛新冠军年会上宣布，腾讯将从7月起允许外国用户关联信用卡和其他主要国际运营商发行的信用卡或借记卡。
这一发展将使旅行者能够方便地使用智能手机在中国各地数百万已经接受国内版微信支付的商家进行支付。陈强调，腾讯致力于根据相关监管机构和政策，为海外游客增加对中国在线和线下商家的访问。
蚂蚁集团旗下阿里巴巴集团控股公司运营的支付宝最近也宣布，外国用户可以在中国使用万事达信用卡或借记卡支付。此外，支付宝支持信用卡、大来国际和发现银行发行的海外银行卡。
中国一直在稳步迈向一个严重依赖数字和移动支付的无现金社会。然而，这一转变将某些群体抛在了后面，包括不太懂技术的老年人和通常没有中国银行账户的外国游客。
2019年11月，支付宝推出了TourPass，使外国游客能够从国际信用卡或借记卡中添加资金，用于使用支付宝进行在线购物和店内支付。同月，微信开始在网约车服务滴滴出行和中国官方火车票务网站“12306”等选定平台上接受信用卡支付。支付合作伙伴包括Visa、万事达、美国运通、发现全球网络和JCB。
bilingual sources from SFBC
