- Over 30% increase in tourists paying with their preferred home
payment app in Europe via Alipay+ during UEFA EURO 2024
- Alipay+ continues to work with global merchants to welcome
cross-border travelers with a series of promotions, tax refund
services
- Alipay+ global merchant coverage has grown to 90 million,
connecting them to users of more than 30 Alipay+ payment partners,
enabling more businesses to benefit from travel peaks as tourism
regains pre-pandemic levels
Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and digitalization
solutions operated by Ant International, continued its global
summer campaign, which was kicked off by UEFA EURO 2024, in
preparation for the travel industry's full rebound by the end of
20241.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240723647414/en/
Alipay+ merchant in Germany (Photo:
Business Wire)
Alipay+ is the Official Payment Partner of the UEFA EURO 2024™,
and connects leading e-wallets and bank apps, including European
partners like Bluecode and Tinaba, to 400,000 merchants across
Europe. During EURO 2024 from 14 June to 14 July:
- Alipay+ merchants in Europe saw a year-on-year increase of 27%
in terms of transactions made from its partner e-wallets, many of
which are mobile payment leaders in Asia. The number of tourists
who paid with their preferred home payment app via Alipay+ rose by
over 30% during the championship period.
- Mobile-savvy travelers from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong
SAR, Europe, Malaysia and South Korea lead the European travel
craze in terms of the number of transactions and total
spending.
- While retail remains the most popular activity, travelers also
pay with their home payment apps via Alipay+ at pharmacies and
attractions, as Alipay+ increases its coverage in essential travel
scenarios.
- Cross-border consumption rose with varied user and merchant
campaigns across UEFA EURO host cities like Berlin and Munich. In
Germany, Alipay+ transactions increased by more than 73%, with a
40% increase in the number of merchants accepting an Alipay+
transaction, compared to the year before.
"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.”
Alipay+ turns the heat up with global summer campaign
This summer, tourists will be able to 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 also adding more digital conveniences for
tourists through its recent integration with the taxi app FREENOW,
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 market 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 simply use their own 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
region include many micro and small merchants like hawker stalls in
Singapore, that will allow tourists to truly ‘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.
About Alipay+
Alipay+ is a suite of cross-border digital payment, marketing
and digitalization solutions that help connect global merchants to
consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of
deals using their preferred payment methods while travelling
abroad. Small and medium-sized businesses may use Alipay+ digital
tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
1 UN Tourism: International tourism reached 97% of
pre-pandemic levels in first quarter of 2024
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240723647414/en/
Scott Lai scott.lai@antgroup.com