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Visiting China just got a whole lot easier for international travelers. Starting Friday (July 21), visitors are able to link their Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) accounts to China’s most popular mobile payment platforms, allowing them to book taxis, ride the subway and pay for goods and services at millions of outlets across the near-cashless country. The move marks a revival of efforts by Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept foreign credit cards after they provided some limited access in late 2019. The companies said previously that they were acting under the guidance of Chinese regulators, as Beijing seeks to attract foreign investment and international travelers to boost its flagging economy. Alipay, China’s largest payment app operated by Ant Group, announced on Friday that overseas users can link cards issued by Visa and Mastercard, as well as Diners Club and Discover to their digital wallets. The change takes effect immediately. “As the Chengdu [World University Games] and the Hangzhou Asian Games approach, more and more foreign tourists have come to China, and they may need to use mobile payments for basic necessities of life,” the Hangzhou-based fintech giant, an affiliate of Alibaba Group (BABA), said in a statement. “Athletes and tourists from all over the world can use Alipay nationwide to enjoy various convenient services such as shopping, taking taxis, taking subways, and visiting scenic spots.” A day earlier, Tencent (TCEHY), which owns the country’s second most popular payment app WeChat Pay, made a similar announcement. WeChat Pay is officially known as Weixin Pay in China. WeChat users can now link credit or debit cards issued by Visa, Mastercard, JCB or Discover for payment at tens of millions of merchants in China, the social media and gaming company said. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/21/tech/china-alipay-wechat-pay-international-credit-cards-intl-hnk/index.html

Noticed more and more food stalls at hawker centres and coffeeshops now accept mobile contactless payment. Looking to set up mobile contactless payment on my android hp and would like to know the following 1. most user friendly interface 2. linked to bank account or credit card 3. uses QR code or NFC Thanks in advance for feedback and suggestions. 🙏

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jan 6) signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group's Alipay, a senior administration official said, escalating tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office this month. The order, first reported by Reuters, tasks the Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive and targets Tencent Holdings's QQ Wallet and WeChat pay as well. The move is aimed at curbing the threat to Americans posed by Chinese software applications, which have large user bases and access to sensitive data, the official said. The order released by the White House names "Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office". A US official noted the order gave the Commerce Department 45 days to act but the department plans to act before Jan 20 when Trump leaves office to identify prohibited transactions. Any transactions prohibited by the Trump administration are likely to face court challenges as the Commerce Department did when orders barring transactions with WeChat and TikTok were blocked by federal judges. Another official said the order mirrors earlier Trump actions against Chinese-owned apps WeChat and TikTok seeking to block some transactions that have been blocked by US courts. US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement he supports Trump's "commitment to protecting the privacy and security of Americans from threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party". source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/trump-signs-order-banning-china-payment-app-transaction-alipay-13901962

Alipay launches international e-wallet, giving foreigners access to mobile payment platform in first for China source: https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3036366/alipay-launches-international-e-wallet-giving-foreigners-access-electronic TL;DR Ant Financial unveils a 90-day ‘tour pass’ programme for short-term visitors to pay for online purchases through its Alipay platform China received 30.5m international tourists in 2018 who spent US$73.1 billion from lodging to shopping and food, Ant Financial say Without a Chinese bank account and a local mobile phone line, foreigners have found it difficult, if not impossible, to find any smartphone app to pay for online purchases in China. That hurdle will be now removed under a pioneering effort by Alipay. Ant Financial Services Group, which operates one of China’s two dominant e-payment platforms, will give foreign visitors to the mainland access to its mobile payment platform from Tuesday, according to a statement. It will allow visitors up to 90 days’ usage of its smartphone application without requiring a local bank account or mobile phone number, it added. Ant Financial is an associate of Alibaba Group Holding, which in turn is the owner of The South China Morning Post. Under the programme called ‘Tour Pass’, the company will introduce an international version of its Alipay app for download and registration using their international phone numbers. The app will enable visitors to pay for their transactions using a 90-day prepaid card from the Bank of Shanghai. The move will open the door for Ant Financial to extend its dominance in the home market and tap into growing tourism in the world’s second-largest economy. China received 30.5 million of foreign visitors in 2018, an increase of 4.7 per cent from the previous year. They spent about US$73.1 billion in lodging, food, shopping, among others, Ant Financial estimates. The international version of the Alipay app is not being made available for Hong Kong and Macau mobile phone users, Ant Financial said. There is a mobile payment solution called Alipay HK for Hong Kong users, which is different from the mainland version. To gain access to China’s mobile payment services, Hong Kong residents can open a Chinese bank account through Bank of China (Hong Kong), one of the city’s three currency issuers, without having to do so onshore. Ant Financial said the 90-day prepaid card can be reloaded using their international debit or credit cards. The minimum top-up is 100 yuan, with the balance capped at 2,000 yuan. Users can top up “multiple times” and Alipay has set an undisclosed but “reasonable” ceiling, it said. Alipay competes with Tencent Holdings’ WeChat Pay for dominance in China’s cashless economy. Both operators have more than 90 per cent penetration rate among internet users, according to a 2018 report on China’s third-party mobile payments market by research firm Ipsos. Alipay, together with its local e-wallet partners across Asia, serves more than 1.2 billion users on its platform, according to its statement.

looks like big chunk of the money is flowing through alibaba's alipay, so much until the central govt felt threatened?