https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/alipay-wechat-pay-allow-tour…
Previously WeChat Pay accepts foreign debit/credit cards for online payments at selected merchants in China, however this has been surpassed just now by the new service provided jointly by AliPay and Bank of Shanghai, called "TourPass", which, once topped up using foreign cards, can be used wherever AliPay is supported (online or offline) which is literally everywhere in China as some of you may know.
Fee-free for a limited period until the end of the year (possibly to be extended), the product is valid for 90 days at a time and is available to AliPay accounts created using an overseas mobile number. I am especially excited because as an Australian Chinese I travel to China frequently with prolonged stays and it has always frustrated me how few places in China accept my Bankwest/ANZ travel adventure card.
To sign up:
- Download the AliPay app from Apple Store/Google Play
- Sign up using your Australian mobile number
- Choose "International version" where prompted during the signup
- After signup, you should see the "TourPass" icon/banner on the home page but if not, type "TourPass" in the search bar on the top
- Click on the "TourPass" icon and choose top-up
- The first time you load it will ask for your passport and a photo of your Chinese visa - they don't seem to actually verify this (nor do they have the ability to) as I put in some random info/a photo of my wall and it went through
- You will also need to add the payment method which can't be changed after your first top-up until it expires in 90 days so choose wisely. If I recall correctly, Visa, MasterCard, Diners are accepted (no Amex but you wouldn't want to use Amex given the forex fees)
- Choose the first top-up amount (minimum CNY 100, which went through MasterCard to my Bankwest card as A$20.74, better than the rate given by Google). You will be able to top up as many times as you like during the 90 day validity period
- Spend away!I used it to recharge my Chinese mobile number (as I am currently in Sydney) and it went through fine (essentially it's a prepaid card issued by Bank of Shanghai which gets added to your ApliPay account as a Chinese debit card)
Couple of things I found that can be improved:
- You will not have the option to cancel the card prior to its expiry in 90 days, at which time the balance on the card is automatically refunded to your funding card so I would recommend you top up small amounts as you need them
- You will not be able to transfer any money from the Travel Pass to other AliPay users so only can be spent on purchases
- The maximum balance on the card at any given time is CNY 2000 (circa $400), but the flip side of this is that it means this product comes under the "prepaid/gift card" legislation rather than the ones applicable to debit cards in China which has much more stringent identity verification requirements.
I suspect it will also work at Australian merchants who support AliPay but it's essentially moot as you are suffering forex twice (i.e. AUD-CNY-AUD).
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this but IMHO it's a great product offering signifying the progress in the opening-up of the Chinese financial services industry - albeit it still has a long way to go compared to countries like Japan that widely accepts major international cards alongside its own (JCB). Also,it extends the convenience of mobile payments in China to foreigners which is an excellent news for us.
Thanks ops. Good find. I wander can you use the amount to pay for taobao. 11/11 is not far away.