China Launches Payment App for Inbound Tourists to Boost 'China Travel'

Chinese tech giant Tencent on Thursday launched TenPayGo, a payment app for overseas users traveling to China, designed to make payments more convenient for inbound visitors as the country sees a growing number of international travelers. The new platform supports bank cards issued overseas by seven major international card organizations including Visa and Mastercard, as well as Apple Pay and overseas e-wallets such as Starryblu, according to Tencent. After linking a payment method, users can scan and pay directly through TenPayGo, the company said, unveiling the app at an international payment services launch event in Shenzhen. TenPayGo will also enable overseas visitors to activate a ride code for Shenzhen's buses and metro, requiring no phone number or transit card. The company added that TenPayGo will further expand its in-app services, pledging to connect payment with consumption scenarios such as departure tax refunds and AI-powered translation of menus. Dong Ximiao, chief economist at Merchants Union Consumer Finance Company Limited, noted that TenPayGo allows inbound visitors to travel across China with a single smartphone, which is set to further improve their travel experience. The launch of TenPayGo follows Tencent's announcement in May of a landmark integration of its extensive payment network with PayPal, enabling U.S. visitors to pay like locals in China via QR codes. This partnership connects Tencent's cross-border payments platform TenPay Global with PayPal World. Tencent's WeChat, known as Weixin Pay in mainland China, offers digital payment services beyond its social media and messaging functions. The introduction of TenPayGo by Weixin Pay comes amid a surge in foreign visitor spending. Data from Weixin Pay showed that in the first eight months of this year, the value and number of overseas e-wallet transactions in China increased by 80.6 percent and 81.8 percent year on year, respectively. This payment growth coincides with a surge in "China Travel," driven by government measures to facilitate inbound tourism, including expanded visa-free policies and improved departure tax refunds. Official data indicated that foreign nationals made nearly 61.29 million border crossings from January to August, up 19.5 percent from a year earlier. Visa-free entries accounted for 23.72 million of the total, up 26.8 percent year on year. To cater to the increasing payment demand, Tencent stated it will cooperate with domestic online payment-clearing house NetsUnion and work to connect more overseas e-wallets with its payment network, aiming to enable more overseas users to scan to pay when traveling in China.