As China has shifted to payment platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay, cash has become an increasingly rare sight in the country.The problem for foreigners is that these platforms require a Chinese bank account, and it’s become difficult for people on tourist visas to open bank accounts in China.
The new new mini-program within Alipay changes that. Tour Pass lets you add funds from an international credit card or debit card. It’s already live, and it lets users shop online with Alipay or use the app to pay at shops and restaurants.
Visitors to China can now access the country's massive cashless economy.
去中国旅游的人，现在可以接触到这个国家庞大的无现金经济了。
Alibaba-affiliated Ant Financial launched a new international version of its mobile payments app Alipay on Tuesday, marking the first time tourists and business travelers can use mobile payments in Chinese mainland.
The service could remove one of the biggest headaches for visitors to China, where everyone from taxi drivers to luxury malls have come to rely on mobile payments.
▲Visitors to China can now use Alipay instead of cash or cards (via CNN)
不用带钱，也不用带这卡那卡，手机一扫搞定，多轻松啊。
还有网站十分热心，手把手教老外用支付宝这个新功能：
(截图via technode)
从此一身轻松，走上旅行的巅峰~
支付宝的官方Twitter，也第一时间发布了这个消息，引来了海外粉丝叫好——
(viaTwitter @Alipay)
brilliant - well done! 棒棒哒，干得漂亮！
Yho @KathureSasha you will need this
@KathureSasha大妹砸，你需要这个~
Thank youuuuu!
感谢感谢！
而说到移动支付，另一大巨头微信，也是早在一两年前，就可以绑定境外的信用卡了。("WeChat Pay already supports credit cards issued by foreign service providers for limited services such as making purchases and transferring funds." - technode)
外媒甚至把支付宝和微信之间的这种竞争，称作是移动支付领域的一场“激烈的战争”。("The third battle, still ongoing, is between payment giant Ant Financial’s Alipay and WeChat." - Quartz)
Now Alipay—developed under e-commerce giant Alibaba, with whom Tencent has fought a fiercebattle for years—and WeChat are in a kind of Din China’s digital currency market.
和移动支付一起发展的，还有中国的旅游市场。据蚂蚁金服援引政府发布的数据，2018年有超过3000万的国际游客来到了中国，同比增长4.7%。("More than 30 million international visitors went to China in 2018, a 4.7% increase from the year before, according to a statement from Ant Financial, citing government data."- Quartz)
游客们在中国花了多少钱？去年一年，731亿美元。("Tourists spent $73.1 billion in the country last year." - Quartz)
老外：终于可以不那么“像个游客”了。
第二届进博会正在上海召开，吸引了许多外国展商和参观者来到中国。
(图via Yang Hui/GT)
如今，来咱们中国工作学习的外国人越来越多了。还有许多外国旅客也为中国的大好河山所倾倒，纷纷来华旅游。
说到来中国旅游，必然不会对这两个标识陌生：
(图via网络)
一句“微信还是支付宝？”，成了中国移动支付飞速发展的缩影。这年头，尤其在一二线城市，你要是从兜里掏出一把钱来结账，倒是有点点奇怪了。
但对于来中国的外国游客来说，超级便捷的、被戏称为“新四大发明”之一的移动支付——他们却一时半会享受不到。因为支付宝账号只能连国内的银行卡，要想用支付宝，你得先在中国的银行开个户才行。
但就在这两天，“只能用中国银行卡”的情况，已经不存在了：
▲外国游客现在不需要中国的银行账户，也能支付宝了 (via SCMP)
As China has shifted to payment platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay, cash has become an increasingly rare sight in the country.The problem for foreigners is that these platforms require a Chinese bank account, and it’s become difficult for people on tourist visas to open bank accounts in China.
随着中国（的支付方式）转向支付宝和微信等平台，现金在中国已经越来越少见。对于外国人来说这成了个问题：这些移动支付平台需要一个中国的银行账户，而只是持有旅游签证的话，在中国开设银行账户不那么容易。
The new new mini-program within Alipay changes that. Tour Pass lets you add funds from an international credit card or debit card. It’s already live, and it lets users shop online with Alipay or use the app to pay at shops and restaurants.
但支付宝新推出的小程序改善了这一问题：使用小程序中的“旅游通行证”，你也可以用支付宝关联国际信用卡或借记卡。该功能已经上线，国外用户可以使用支付宝在线剁手，或者在线下商店和餐馆付款。
This should help people look a little less touristy in China the next time they pay for a meal by reaching for their phones instead of their wallets.
这项功能，可以帮助老外们在中国用手机来付饭钱，毕竟掏现金看起来有些“游客”哈。
▲Foreign travelers can now use Alipay without a Chinese bank account (via SCMP)
咋地，不乐意看起来像游客吗
(图via网络)
不过，主页君本以为这只是则金融领域的小新闻，却发现许多外媒都对此非常关注。
美国知名的石英财经网(Quartz)甚至取了个挺兴奋标题：去中国旅游的人，终于可以像当地人一样体验无现金经济了！（看来是真的不想“像个游客”
）
▲去中国旅游的人，终于可以像当地人一样体验无现金经济了 (via Quartz)
CNN也是开开心心：
▲去中国的游客现在可以使用支付宝来代替现金或信用卡了 (via CNN)
Visitors to China can now access the country's massive cashless economy.
去中国旅游的人，现在可以接触到这个国家庞大的无现金经济了。
Alibaba-affiliated Ant Financial launched a new international version of its mobile payments app Alipay on Tuesday, marking the first time tourists and business travelers can use mobile payments in Chinese mainland.
阿里巴巴旗下的蚂蚁金服，周二推出了新的国际版支付宝，使得去中国的游客和商旅人士首次能在中国内地使用移动支付。
The service could remove one of the biggest headaches for visitors to China, where everyone from taxi drivers to luxury malls have come to rely on mobile payments.
在中国，从出租车司机到豪华商场，人人都开始习惯用移动支付。这个之前外国旅客去中国最头疼的问题之一（指无现金支付），现在可以通过此项服务消除了。
▲Visitors to China can now use Alipay instead of cash or cards (via CNN)
不用带钱，也不用带这卡那卡，手机一扫搞定，多轻松啊。
还有网站十分热心，手把手教老外用支付宝这个新功能：
(截图via technode)
从此一身轻松，走上旅行的巅峰~
支付宝的官方Twitter，也第一时间发布了这个消息，引来了海外粉丝叫好——
(viaTwitter @Alipay)
brilliant - well done! 棒棒哒，干得漂亮！
Yho @KathureSasha you will need this
@KathureSasha大妹砸，你需要这个~
Thank youuuuu!
感谢感谢！
而说到移动支付，另一大巨头微信，也是早在一两年前，就可以绑定境外的信用卡了。("WeChat Pay already supports credit cards issued by foreign service providers for limited services such as making purchases and transferring funds." - technode)
这也就是为什么，你一些长期在国外的小伙伴未必会用支付宝，但用微信钱包基本没有问题。
(图via网络)
“用支付宝多还是用微信支付多”，这个答案可能因人而异，不同的时期也会不一样。（如“双11”期间支付宝会很活跃，而春节等节假日大家则倾向于微信互发小红包）
外媒甚至把支付宝和微信之间的这种竞争，称作是移动支付领域的一场“激烈的战争”。("The third battle, still ongoing, is between payment giant Ant Financial’s Alipay and WeChat." - Quartz)
Now Alipay—developed under e-commerce giant Alibaba, with whom Tencent has fought a fiercebattle for years—and WeChat are in a kind of Din China’s digital currency market.
如今，电商巨头阿里巴巴旗下的支付宝，与腾讯公司的微信展开了持久激烈的战争，二者在中国数字货币市场上处于双头垄断的地位。
▲WeChat is setting a blueprint for the world’s social networks (viaQuartz)
(截图via Quartz)
从上面的图表来看，微信支付的活跃量要高于支付宝。但看到左上角"billion"的单位，这两家都很厉害了……都是上亿甚至上十亿的数量级啊。
无论从发展速度还是先有规模来看，中国都是当之无愧的移动支付超级大国：
▲中国移动支付用户的数量逐年递增(截图via Quartz)
和移动支付一起发展的，还有中国的旅游市场。据蚂蚁金服援引政府发布的数据，2018年有超过3000万的国际游客来到了中国，同比增长4.7%。("More than 30 million international visitors went to China in 2018, a 4.7% increase from the year before, according to a statement from Ant Financial, citing government data."- Quartz)
游客们在中国花了多少钱？去年一年，731亿美元。("Tourists spent $73.1 billion in the country last year." - Quartz)
如此庞大的市场，难怪同样喜欢“买买买”的老外们忍不住想尽快尝一尝支付宝和微信支付的感觉了。
毕竟……用手机支付不仅看起来“更不像游客”，最主要的是，它真的很方便啊