China's top payment systems, Alipay and WeChat Pay, eased access for foreign users on Friday, a day after Beijing issued new guidelines for its payments industry.
Chinese Online Payments Bring 'China Travel'
Scan-to-pay platforms are ubiquitous in China, and the biggest players — Alibaba's Alipay and Tencent's Weixin/WeChat — last year allowed users outside China to back up their accounts with Visa, Mastercard and other international credit cards.
Previously, a Chinese bank account and phone number were required to use the payment apps, making it difficult to pay for almost anything in a society where contactless payments are the norm.
But starting last Friday, Alipay allows foreigners to spend up to $2,000 a year without having to register an ID. WeChat Pay users can also use their international bank cards without providing "full details".
