Payment facilitation service offered to overseas travelers

Staffers explain e-CNY using method to an expat at the service point in Luohu Checkpoint. Courtesy of ICBC

The service point was set up in December last year. In less than three months, over 6,000 travelers from Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. have been offered consultancy on linking their bank cards to China’s most popular mobile payment platforms - WeChat and Alipay.

Jerry Clavero, a Filipino traveler, spent less than 3 minutes recharging an e-CNY wallet card at the inauguration ceremony yesterday. “The wallet card is well designed. It is not only trendy, but also convenient. I really like it.”

Overseas travelers, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan compatriots, can apply for an e-CNY wallet card with their passport. The wallet-holders can make payments with the wallet in various consumption scenarios such as dining, shopping, and travel without mobile phones or the internet.

“They [service point] can give you the information that you need if you wish to use WeChat Pay, for example, on your phone. It’s very easy to make the transaction. You don’t actually have to go to the bank,” Richard Lokan from Australia, said.

The Shenzhen branch of ICBC has dispatched staff proficient in Cantonese and English to assist the Luohu Checkpoint Hong Kong People Service Center to provide consultancy on linking bank cards to WeChat and Alipay for overseas travelers since last December, according to the bank.

The bank also said that it has installed self-service machines for e-CNY wallet card at checkpoints and the airport. After overseas tourists cross the border, they can complete the application for an e-CNY wallet card and foreign currency cash deposit within a few minutes.

Meanwhile, the bank and the center have been providing foreign card acquiring service for businesses and hotels nearby the checkpoint that are frequently visited by overseas travelers.

Text and Picture Source: Shenzhen Daily

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