Alipay+, a cross-border mobile payment and digitalization solution by Ant International, experienced a 30% increase in tourists using their preferred home payment app in Europe during UEFA EURO 2024. The company connects leading e-wallets and bank apps to 400,000 merchants across Europe. During the championship period, Alipay+ merchants in Europe saw a 27% year-on-year increase in transactions made from its partner e-wallets. Mobile-savvy travelers from China, Hong Kong SAR, Europe, Malaysia, and South Korea led the European travel craze. Cross-border consumption rose with varied user and merchant campaigns across UEFA EURO host cities like Berlin and Munich.
“The surge in Alipay+ transactions during UEFA EURO 2024 shows the power of sports and major events to unite people and drive cross-border tourism,” said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. “European merchants and partners embraced new digital payment trends with remarkable openness and agility. At Ant International, we will continue to expand merchant coverage for consumers and bring more international businesses to the doors of global SMEs.”
This summer, tourists can pay with their preferred payment apps via Alipay+ at more than 90 million global merchants in 66 markets as Alipay+ merchant coverage continues to grow, connecting them to users of more than 30 payment partners.
With Europe expected to be one of the top destinations during summer, Alipay+ will continue its momentum from its UEFA EURO 2024 drive, with more joint campaigns with partners to promote usage of their home payment apps in Europe and offering exclusive promotions at leading merchants, particularly in key destinations like the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Besides retailers, Alipay+ is also working with local partners to ensure more local businesses can benefit. For example, tourists can enjoy special deals at many small shops in Chinatown in Milan, with more small businesses across Europe to be progressively onboarded. Alipay+ is adding more digital conveniences for tourists through its recent integration with the taxi app FREE NOW, available in 7 European countries, and partnerships for digital tax refunds. The latter allows Chinese tourists to receive instant tax refunds on their Alipay app in-store.
In Japan, where more than 2 million merchants accept Alipay+, tourists from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand can enjoy special discounts at 300,000 merchants across the country, including airport shops, department stores, premium shopping malls, convenience store chains, electronics and appliances retailers, and health and beauty shops.
In South Korea, Alipay+ is rolling out summer promotions with leading retailers, theme parks, traditional markets, and transportation providers, including duty-free stores and department stores operated by Hyundai, Shilla, Shinsegae, Lotte World, ZeroPay Jeju market, and Olive Young, for users of AlipayHK, GCash, Touch ‘n Go eWallet and TrueMoney.
Alipay+ expanded its acceptance for transportation in South Korea, making it easier for tourists to travel around. In Jeju, users of Alipay+ partners, including Alipay, AlipayHK, GCash, Touch ’n Go eWallet, and TrueMoney, can use their payment apps to pay for bus rides. The convenience extends beyond local transportation. Chinese tourists can book train tickets to travel across the country through a dedicated mini-program operated by Korail within the Alipay app.
Through its collaboration with ZeroPay, South Korea’s national QR standard, Alipay+ is accepted by more than 1.9 million merchants. Alipay+ and its partners continue to make travel more seamless in the Chinese mainland, including the recent expansion of the International Consumer-Friendly Zone Program to Chengdu and Chongqing, as well as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Tourists visiting the Chinese mainland can pay across more than 80 million merchants by linking their international credit cards to the Alipay app or via 12 other Alipay+ partner payment methods.
In Southeast Asia (SEA), where Alipay+ is widely accepted, users of AlipayHK, Touch ’n Go eWallet, GCash, and TrueMoney can purchase discounted travel packs for use at all Alipay+ merchants in the region. Through its partnership with national QRs in Singapore and Malaysia, Alipay+ merchants in the area include many micro and small merchants like hawker stalls in Singapore, that will allow tourists to indeed ‘travel like a local’.
With SEA being a popular destination for Chinese tourists, Alipay+ is introducing more innovation and campaigns via Alipay, one of its payment partners, including exclusive campaigns with more than 30 of the most popular retailers – including Central Retail, The Mall Group and King Power in Thailand, Pavilion and Sunway Velocity in Malaysia, and Jewel, Resorts Word Sentosa and Mandai in Singapore.
Additionally, in Thailand, the top SEA destination for Chinese tourists, Alipay+ is enhancing its Alipay+ D-hub and Amazing Thailand e-card – a joint digital travel innovation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand – within the Alipay app, to promote more cities, more merchants and offer more discounts.
