World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Travellers can now use DBS PayLah! at over 100 million merchants across China
DBS PayLah! users can now make QR payments at more than 100 million Alipay and Weixin Pay partner merchants across mainland China. The expansion gives travellers a wider way to pay without extra transaction fees and makes DBS the first Singapore bank to support QR payments across China’s three major payment ecosystems.
More than three million users can scan a merchant’s code or show their own code for the merchant to scan. Before confirming payment, they can see the amount in yuan, the exchange rate and the Singapore-dollar total; the latest app version is required. The move comes as foreign nationals made 11.6 million trips to China between July and September, up 15.6 per cent year on year, with Singapore among the top 10 source countries.
In short
- PayLah! now works at over 100 million Alipay and Weixin Pay merchants in China.
- Users can scan or present a QR code with no added transaction fees.
- Foreign trips to China rose 15.6 per cent year on year in July to September.
Explained simply
DBS is a Singapore bank, and PayLah! is its mobile payment app. QR payments let customers pay by scanning a code with their phone or showing a code for a merchant to scan.
Alipay and Weixin Pay are widely used mobile payment services in China, where many shops accept payments through QR codes. Singapore visitors have often needed cash, cards or access to local payment apps, so the available ways to pay can affect everyday travel.
The change links PayLah! users with merchants that accept those Chinese services. It comes as travel to China by foreign visitors is growing, including from Singapore.