At the 13th Payment and Clearing Forum held on September 11th, the executive of Tenpay in charge of foreign exchange business, Dai Haiyong, shared the latest progress on WeChat Pay's foreign card service. Since the comprehensive upgrade in July 2023, this service has successfully provided a convenient payment experience for millions of foreigners coming to China. During this period, both the number of transactions and the total transaction amount have achieved remarkable growth, reaching the scale of tens of millions of transactions and billions of RMB respectively. It is particularly notable that compared with the data in July 2024, the number of transactions and the amount have recorded year - on - year growth rates close to 4 times and 5 times respectively. To attract more foreign users, WeChat Pay is actively taking measures to reduce fees and has taken the initiative to bear the relevant costs for international card transactions within 1000 yuan. Newly registered foreign users, when using WeChat Pay, not only can enjoy free handling fees for transactions not exceeding 200 yuan per transaction but also can be exempt from handling fees for the first 1000 yuan of consumption per day within seven consecutive days starting from the first transaction during the "144 - hour Transit Visa Exemption" policy. This preferential policy is planned to be implemented until the end of this year, aiming to further optimize the user experience of the "144 - hour visa exemption" policy by increasing payment convenience. In addition, the National Immigration Administration revealed that the implementation scope of the "144 - hour Transit Visa Exemption" policy has been expanded to cover 37 entry - exit ports and is applicable to passengers from 54 countries, demonstrating China's continuous efforts in promoting international exchanges and business.
Free of handling fees, making payment easier
In the past, when foreigners used international credit cards for small - amount consumption in China, they often had additional expenses due to international card transaction handling fees. WeChat Pay's introduction of the policy of free handling fees within 1000 yuan will undoubtedly greatly reduce the payment costs of foreign users and make their consumption experience more convenient and smooth. Data shows that since the comprehensive upgrade of WeChat Pay's foreign card service, it has cumulatively provided services for millions of foreigners coming to China, and the number of transactions and transaction amount have maintained a high growth trend.
Enriching the "144 - hour visa exemption" policy, upgrading the convenience
In addition to waiving handling fees, WeChat Pay also actively cooperates with the "144 - hour visa exemption" policy to provide foreign tourists with a more comprehensive payment service. New users can enjoy zero handling fees for consumption within the quota of 1000 yuan per day within seven consecutive days starting from the first transaction within the "144 - hour visa exemption" time range.
WeChat Pay, helping to build an international consumption center city
As a leading mobile payment platform in China, WeChat Pay has been committed to providing users with safe, convenient, and efficient payment services. This upgrade of the foreign card service not only reflects WeChat Pay's deep understanding of user needs but is also an important measure in its active response to the national strategy of "building an international consumption center city".
