American Express and Alipay today announced a new feature aimed at enhancing payment convenience for international travelers in China. All eligible global American Express Card Members 1 can now link their Cards to the Alipay digital wallet, enabling seamless and secure payments at tens of millions of merchants across the Chinese mainland. This initiative not only simplifies transactions for travelers but also provides local businesses with greater opportunities to attract international customers.
“Our collaboration with Alipay helps advance our commitment to providing an exceptional
experience to American Express Card Members traveling to and within China. By integrating with Alipay’s digital wallet, we are empowering our Card Members with more ways to transact and connect with a vast network of merchants across China,” said Mohammed Badi, President of Global Network Services at American Express.
“Travel is an essential link for global connectivity and shared prosperity. We are thrilled to
expand our collaboration with leading industry innovators like American Express,
continuously developing a vibrant and mutually beneficial ecosystem. Through consistent
breakthroughs in innovation, we aim to help small businesses achieve cross-border growth
and enable people to deepen cultural understanding and mutual trust through safe and
convenient travel experiences,” said Cyril Han Xinyi, President of Ant Group.
“Our integration with Alipay reinforces our commitment to providing solutions that help makeit easier for residents and inbound travelers alike to spend with local merchants in China,” said Yamin Zhu, Chief Executive Officer of Express (Hangzhou) Technology Service Company (“Express Company”), a joint venture of American Express in China.
American Express is the first foreign payments network to be licensed to clear Renminbi
transactions in the Chinese mainland. Through its Express Company joint venture, it has
partnered with more than 30 leading Chinese banks, third-party payment institutions and
mobile wallet operators to enable Card Members to use their American Express Cards at
millions of merchants in China.
With the integration with American Express, international visitors can now use seven card
brands from major global card networks in China through Alipay. Alipay is a digital wallet
partner of Alipay+, a unified wallet gateway which is developed by Ant International. With
Alipay+, users of Alipay and 12 other leading e-wallets and payment apps in Asia can
conveniently pay at tens of millions of merchants across China.
“Facilitating inbound digital payments into China through Alipay+ is a testament to Ant
International’s commitment to pushing the frontier of digital innovation beyond borders and
resource gaps. These innovations are paving the way for a seamless cross-border
consumption experience, empowering SMEs to connect effortlessly with global travelers,”
said Jiang-Ming Yang, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of Ant International.
