- Tencent simplifies WeChat account registration and card linking for visitors to mainland China, ensuring secure and convenient payment transactions.
- Increased transaction limits and UnionPay’s Tour Card offer diverse payment options, while collaborations enhance cross-border QR payment compatibility.
- WeChat Pay HK expands in mainland China, offering convenient payment options for Hong Kong residents, while Tencent improves Weixin Pay services for inbound tourists.
Streamlined process for WeChat account registration and card linking
To facilitate cross-border tourism, Tencent is simplifying the payment experience for visitors to mainland China. The process for registering a WeChat account and linking international cards to Weixin Pay has been streamlined, ensuring convenience and security.
Overseas users can now register for a WeChat account using an overseas mobile number (i.e. any country/region code other than +86) and easily link eligible international cards to Weixin Pay. This allows access to over tens of millions of merchants across mainland China, including small and medium-sized businesses and street vendors. The simplified card linking process ensures safe and convenient transactions for international visitors.
Also read: Ant eyes Europe and US for its Alipay+travel payment service
Increased transaction limits and diverse payment options
For those seeking higher transaction limits, Tencent offers an identity verification process that can be completed quickly. Passport verification can take as fast as only seconds to complete. Verified international users enjoy increased transaction limits, with the single transaction limit raised to US$5,000 and the annual transaction limit to US$50,000.
Also read: China: World’s first truly cashless society?
To provide more payment options, users can apply for and link UnionPay’s Tour Card (a pre-paid card offering a one-stop service for top-up and consumption) through Weixin Pay.
Additionally, to aid tourists in China in utilizing their native e-wallets, Tenpay Payment Technology Co., Ltd., NetsUnion Clearing Corporation, and China Construction Bank (Malaysia) have collaborated with Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) to ensure Cross-Border QR payment compatibility. Soon, individuals with various local wallets in the PayNet system can make purchases in mainland China by scanning Weixin Pay QR codes provided by merchants. Tenpay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform, will cooperate with NetsUnion to expand connections to additional overseas local wallets.
WeChat Pay HK, the first overseas digital wallet to enter mainland China, now serves tens of millions of merchants across all cities since late last year. Catering to Hong Kong residents, it enables payments in Hong Kong dollars, automatically converted from RMB for settlement. WeChat Pay HK has also raised transaction limits, allowing verified users a single transaction limit of HK$38,000 and an annual transaction limit of HK$400,000.
Expansion of WeChat Pay services and resources
As inbound tourism to China grows, Weixin Pay’s international card service sees a significant increase in transaction volume and frequency since the full opening of the merchant network in July 2023. Transactions in online lifestyle services, shopping, dining, and tourism are flourishing.
Tencent has recently launched a dedicated webpage, “Welcome to China, easy pay with Weixin Pay,” providing guidance and resources for overseas users. This includes brand videos, user guides, tutorials, and other relevant information to enhance the payment experience in mainland China.
