Digital payment more popular among visitors

Mobile payment systems are gaining popularity among inbound visitors, which experts attributed to the joint efforts in recent years by the People's Bank of China and other government units that have made payment services more accessible and convenient.

According to data from the PBOC — the central bank — active mobile payment users among inbound travelers who entered the nation in the first half of the year exceeded 10 million, with the number and value of transactions surging 162 percent and 149 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The surge showed that a more diversified payment system is taking shape, significantly improving payment convenience for foreigners in China, an official from the Payment and Settlement Department of the PBOC was quoted by Financial News as saying.

The nation has been enhancing efforts in recent years to foster a more open and convenient payment environment, such as the guideline released last March by the State Council, the nation's Cabinet, to further improve payment services and make transactions more convenient.

The guideline also calls for coordinated efforts to expand foreign card acceptance, safeguard the use of cash and enhance mobile payment accessibility.

Following the guideline, the central bank released a multilingual guide to facilitate payment services for foreigners, detailing how they can use bank cards, mobile services, cash and bank accounts for payments during their stay in China.

The PBOC has rolled out measures, including raising transaction limits, streamlining mobile payment procedures and allowing visitors to register domestic apps with foreign phone numbers, as well as allowing links with overseas bank cards and directly scanning and paying using their own e-wallets, the official said.

In addition, more than 60 airports have also established dedicated payment service zones, providing on-site consultation and assistance for inbound travelers, the bank added.

As China's mobile payment penetration rate has already reached 86 percent, Lou Feipeng, a senior researcher at Postal Savings Bank of China, said, "China has made remarkable progress in improving payment services for foreign visitors, building a more diverse and complementary system that has greatly enhanced payment convenience."

However, due to differences in payment habits, there are still challenges expanding mobile payment services among foreign visitors, especially when it comes to older travelers and those from non-English speaking countries, Lou said.

Payment options are still unevenly available, and support for foreign cards is limited in some smaller cities and non-tourist areas. The lack of unified cross-border payment standards has also raised integration costs and impeded broader adoption, he added.

"China should continue to accelerate its efforts to internationalize its payment standards to promote global compatibility. Meanwhile, closer collaboration with tourism and cultural authorities is needed to help foreign visitors better understand and trust Chinese payment systems, while ensuring that greater convenience goes hand in hand with robust safeguards for data privacy and payment security."

Zhang Chenxu contributed to this story.