The program aims to enhance the travel experience for global travellers and foster growth for local businesses in China. With the backing of relevant authorities and local governments, the program involves the participation of over 20 primary shopping areas, renowned tourist attractions, both of Shanghai’s international airports, key high-speed railway stations, and taxi services comprising a fleet of 25,000 vehicles in the city.
Notable Shanghai landmarks, including the Bund, Nanjing Road shopping district, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, are enlisted among the collaborative partners. Ant Group now provides two digital payment alternatives for overseas visitors in China. Travelers can link major international bank cards, such as Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club International, to an Alipay app to access various local Alipay services, including shopping, dining, ride-hailing, and public transportation, while in mainland China, without requiring a local bank account or phone number.
Furthermore, Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions under Ant International, enables overseas consumers to pay with their home e-wallets across China. Alipay+ supports 12 leading e-wallets and payment apps in Asia for use across an 80-million-strong merchant network in China, including AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), NayaPay (Pakistan), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand).
The Shanghai program impact: improved access
Following the initial rollout of the program in Beijing and subsequent expansion to Guangzhou in April, Ant Group has collaborated closely with partners to enhance accessibility and ease of use for international travelers. This includes improving bilingual assistance and providing detailed user manuals. In Shanghai, participating merchants will enhance payment signage visibility to inform customers about the supported digital payment methods.
With the increase in inbound travel, spending by international visitors to Shanghai via the two digital payment alternatives by Ant Group between January and April surged 13 times year-on-year.
Future integration
Representatives of Ant Group emphasized the significance of the International Consumer Friendly Zones program in Shanghai in enriching inbound tourism experience and boosting local business, considering the city’s pivotal role in China’s global interactions. Ant Group plans to integrate more card organizations and overseas digital wallets for use in China and introduce new joint user campaigns.
Mastercard expresses pleasure in joining the International Consumer Friendly Zones program, enabling foreign travellers to make seamless and safe payments similar to locals. As international inbound traffic to China recovers, Mastercard looks forward to partnering with Ant Group to enhance inbound payment convenience, stimulate consumption, and build a more inclusive payment ecosystem.