The most popular mobile payment methods in China.

WeChat Pay and Alipay are two of the most popular mobile payment methods in China, and most people pay on those platforms using barcodes, known as QR codes, on their phones.

Not many places accept foreign cards like Visa or Mastercard and tourists have few options but to use cash.

Chinese tech giant Tencent operates WeChat Pay’s QR code payment systems, while Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial runs Alipay’s platform.

How it is work?

Ant Financial launched a version of the Alipay app that will support international debit or credit cards. From November 2019, foreign tourists can use Alipay and WeChat Pay in China with credit cards issued from their countries. After downloading Alipay on Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, users can register for the international version of the app using their foreign mobile number.

Users can top up money onto a pre-paid virtual card and begin using Alipay across China. Ant Financial said Alipay will support Visa, Mastercard, Japan’s JCB and Singapore’s Diners Club cards.

So far both companies have focused on getting merchants abroad to accept the payment methods so that Chinese tourists can pay when they go on holiday. But both firms have not launched versions of their apps for users based outside mainland China and Hong Kong.