Tencent launches payment app for foreign visitors
TenPayGo is intended to make it easier for international travellers to pay at shops, restaurants and attractions.
Tencent has launched TenPayGo, a mobile payment app for foreign visitors to China. The service is intended to give travellers access to the WeChat Pay network without first needing a Chinese bank account.
The app was developed by the team behind WeChat Pay. According to a Reuters report published via Investing.com, foreign users can link their own credit card or digital wallet. This allows them to pay at tens of millions of shops, restaurants and tourist locations that accept the WeChat Pay network.
Tencent is targeting the launch at the growth in inbound tourism to China. The timing is connected to the APEC summit, which will be held in Shenzhen later this year. The company presents the app as a way of removing a barrier for visitors accustomed to card payments or mobile services from their own countries.
The move builds on earlier measures by Tencent. The company previously announced a partnership with PayPal World, which would allow PayPal users to pay via QR codes at participating WeChat Pay merchants. Tencent also promised a temporary waiver of transaction fees for certain users and payment instructions in several languages.
For foreign visitors, a local payment app can be practical, but the availability of the service depends on registration, card acceptance, identity checks and the technical functioning of the link. The sources confirm the launch and intended functions, but provide no independent measurement of the number of users or the error rate.
For shops and tourism businesses, broader payment options could bring in additional customers. Set against this are transaction fees, dependence on a single large platform and questions about data processing. Businesses will also need to continue offering alternative payment methods for visitors whose linking or verification is unsuccessful.
Tencent is therefore competing not only with foreign card networks, but also with other Chinese payment platforms seeking to attract international visitors. The development forms part of a broader attempt to make China's digital payment infrastructure more accessible to tourists, without removing its domestic character.
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The launch of TenPayGo and its main functions have been confirmed by Tencent and Reuters-related reporting. The article makes no claims about success or market share that are unsupported by sources.
- confirmed Tencent launched TenPayGo for foreign visitors to China. — Mentioned by Tencent and Reuters-related reporting. source
- confirmed Users can link foreign credit cards or digital wallets. — Description of the app in the Reuters-related publication. source
- confirmed The service works at tens of millions of locations within the WeChat Pay network. — Mentioned in Reuters-related reporting. source
- confirmed Tencent previously announced measures relating to PayPal World, transaction fees and multilingual payment instructions. — Mentioned in Tencent's official announcement. source
Editor's note
The launch and functions have been confirmed by Tencent and Reuters-related reporting. Independent data on usage, reliability and market share are not yet available.Sources
- Tencent Announces Three Initiatives to Make Inbound Payments for International Visitors Easier — Tencent
- Tencent launches mobile payment app for foreign visitors — Investing.com/Reuters
- Tencent rolls out payment app for foreign travellers ahead of APEC summit — South China Morning Post
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