During the 2023 Alipay Partner Conference, China’s digital payment platform Alipay revealed plans to roll out an updated international version of its app, designed specifically for overseas travellers visiting China.
The latest move comes just one month shy of China’s upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, which is expected to attract people from all over the world. The app’s new updates aim to enhance the travel experience for incoming international visitors in China by offering tailored services and seamless mobile payment solutions.
According to Alipay, the newly launched international version of the app boasts a range of notable features, including language preferences such as English and an intuitive translation tool. These enhancements aim to assist individuals who do not speak Mandarin Chinese and to help provide seamless communication during their travels that will ultimately enhance their experience at local destinations.
Alipay’s new-and-improved app also now integrates a wide array of essential travel services such as hotel reservations, air ticket bookings, ride-hailing services, public transportation information, and real-time exchange rate checking. Beyond basic travel needs, this enhanced version of the app also embraces the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games with a newly-added Smart Hangzhou mini-program.
In 2022, Alipay made an effort to enhance its payment services for travellers from around the world, allowing tourists to sign up and link their international credit or debit cards from major providers, including Visa and Mastercard. As of June 2023, the tech giant now allows iPhone users to seamlessly link Alipay and Apple Pay accounts. This provides users with the ability to make secure payments at millions of Alipay partner merchants across China, from restaurants to shopping malls and more.
Yaoyao Jin, Alipay’s product lead for the international version, reaffirmed the company’s commitment, stating, “We will continue to optimise our products and services to better serve international visitors to China by enhancing their travel experience with convenient mobile payment services. We also encourage more merchants and service providers operating digitally on Alipay’s platform to enhance their services for international travellers.”
