Alipay+ simplifies the payment experience for tourists visiting China

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Hi readers,

Visiting China as a tourist has never been easier. I learned that last month while on a short trip to Hangzhou.

I took a leap of faith not bringing along any cash, even as a backup, and it turns out I didn’t have to worry. Across the city, merchants – from those in malls to nondescript roadside stalls – display QR codes accepting digital payments.

It’s a testament to the country’s high digital adoption. But the pervasiveness of mobile payments was also once a major pain point and deterrent for foreign visitors, who couldn’t access the country’s two main mobile payment methods, Alipay and Wechat Pay.

Now, tourists can. As part of a major expansion of Ant Group’s Alipay+ solution, users of e-wallets like Touch ‘n Go, TrueMoney, OCBC, and seven other platforms can use their domestic payment apps to pay tens of millions of merchants across the country.

While this offers a glimpse into the future, not all transitions will be as seamless.

A Luckin coffee store I visited, for instance, had no physical menus on display. Instead, over a dozen cups were lined up on the counters for customers who had ordered them online via the store’s mini programs.

In Singapore, it’s hard to imagine consumers doing the same and going fully digital. The option to order in advance for pick-up is great, and food delivery apps here do have such options, but I, for one, think that menus at cafes and bubble tea stores – and physical ordering in general – still have a place for years to come.

— Melissa Goh, journalist at Tech in Asia

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