Shanghai is making strides in enhancing the travel experience for international visitors. The city's convenient mobile payment services have garnered praise from travelers like Paul Albano, a Filipino tourist and the general manager of the Philippinan e-payment service platform GCash.

"The customs process was swift, and the Alipay+ service desk caught my eye – so helpful on how to go about mobile payments in China," said Albano on a LinkedIn post. 

A screenshot of Albano's LinkedIn post.

The advantages of having convenient payment and favorable visa policies have not only impressed industry insiders like Albano, but also media professionals such as Serik Korzhumbayev from Kazakhstan. 

During his recent visit to China, Serik was surprised to find that Kaspi, a popular e-wallet app in Kazakhstan, could be used in many places in China. 

The ability to use international electronic wallets in China, such as Kaspi, has simplified cross-border transactions. During his visit, Korzhumbayev said that whevever he saw the Alipay+ logo, it's completely fine to scan with Kaspi and make payments. 

Alipay+ is a cross-border digital payment solution initiated by Ant Group. It allows users to make payments in China by using any payment app that is included in the Alipay+ partnership program. 

Foreigners make a payment at a bookstore in Shanghai. [Photo/Shanghai Observer] 

According to Ant Group, the Alipay+ initiative has now connected 28 e-wallet platforms across 12 countries and regions globally, including China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mongolia, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Italy. This allows 1.5 billion consumers to "travel around the world with one wallet".

The promotion of Alipay+ is part of Shanghai's broader efforts to burnish its reputation as a foreigner-friendly consumption city. 

At the end of May, a joint initiative was launched by Ant Group and Mastercard to promote convenient payment solutions for international visitors. Over 10,000 businesses in popular commercial districts, foreigner hubs, and iconic landmarks across the city now showcase signs and instructions on how to use digital payment. 

The city's taxi industry has also embraced the mobile payment trend, with major taxi companies equipping over 25,000 vehicles with visible signs for passengers to scan and pay using e-wallets. 

The number of foreign passengers using Alipay+ electronic wallets to pay for their fares has increased by roughly 30 percent since May, according to Cao Yong, director of safety operations at Jinjiang Taxi Company.

A passenger uses Alipay+ to pay his taxi fare in Shanghai. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The surge in merchants engaging in cross-border transactions in Shanghai highlights the city's growing appeal to global visitors. 

According to Alipay and its partners, through linking foreign bank cards to the Alipay app or directly using overseas e-wallets through Alipay+ cross-border services, the amount spent by foreigners in Shanghai using QR code payments has increased 13 times from January to April year-on-year. 

To further optimize its digital payment services, Shanghai plans to place more bilingual service manuals and bilingual staff at service counters and public spaces across the city.

Source: Shanghai Observer