AlipayHK expands digital payment services to Guangzhou

AlipayHK has expanded its digital payment services to Guangzhou's transportation network, making it the first international payment app to be used in Guangzhou. This expansion demonstrates its commitment to providing convenient and efficient cross-border services for its users.

Following the adoption of AlipayHK payment in Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Shanghai, consumers can now travel in Guangzhou with a simple QR code scan on all public transports including the Guangzhou Metro, buses, trams, water buses or even Foshan Metro.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, AlipayHK's spokesperson said this collaboration primarily focuses on improving the livelihood services for Hong Kong residents in Chinese Mainland. "We will strengthen our efforts to promoting this service through in-app education and public awareness, ensuring that a greater number of Hong Kong residents become aware of and benefit from this service."

The collaboration also aims to seamlessly connect all public transportation options in Guangzhou, providing enhanced convenience for Hong Kong residents traveling northward, according to the spokesperson. Furthermore, this partnership will set another benchmark for promoting connectivity among other cities within the Bay Area, enabling Hong Kong residents to truly experience the convenience of a single app serving three region.

AlipayHK users only need to enter "Transportation" in the in-app and select "Guangzhou", or search "Guangzhou Metro" in the search bar at the top of the homepage to enter, and follow the instructions to complete the activation.

When taking a bus in Guangzhou or Foshan in the future, after pointing the scanner at the corresponding "ride code", consumers can pay the fare in Hong Kong dollars and enjoy Guangzhou's preferential public transportation ticketing policies.

Guangzhou Metro Group said: "As a thousand-year-old commercial city, Guangzhou holds many foreign trade chambers of commerce every year to attract foreigners. Last year, it was one of the top ten popular tourist destinations in the mainland, receiving hundreds of millions of tourists."

"We are very pleased to be the first to cooperate with AlipayHK, which has become the first overseas payment tool accessible by Guangzhou Metro, making it convenient for Hong Kong residents to travel, spend, and even trade in Guangzhou. We look forward to allowing more tourists from different countries and regions to use their hometown e-wallets through Alipay+ in the future when they are travelling in Guangzhou," the group added.

Venetia Lee, the general manager of AlipayHK and Ant Group Greater China International Business, said, “I am happy to see AlipayHK's Greater Bay Area transportation blueprint move forward. Guangzhou is one of the most popular Bay Area cities for Hong Kong people."

"One-code access will undoubtedly make travelling in the Bay Area more convenient, and the close transportation interconnection also supports the implementation of the ‘multiple destinations’ tourism initiative in the region. We very much look forward to relying on the cooperation of Guangzhou Metro Group to promote smooth transportation in other cities in the region, so that Hong Kong people can truly realise one app for three places," she added.

In January 2024, the average daily number and amount of transactions made by Hong Kong users in the mainland increased by 10 to 15 times compared with February 2023, after the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, according to AlipayHK. Taking a ride by scanning QR codes accounted for one-third of the overall number of transactions made by Hong Kong residents in the mainland in January.

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