BEIJING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- For foreign travelers in China, swiping their credit cards for a cup of coffee or a cab, even in a metropolis like Beijing, used to be a troublesome challenge as international credit cards were not widely accepted in the country.
Now, the situation has changed, as China has recently implemented a slew of measures to streamline payment processes for overseas travelers, highlighting the country's ongoing commitment to enhancing high-level openness.
"When I shop and want to buy something (in Beijing), I can just directly use my Visa credit card. It feels awesome to be able to use the same payment method as in my own country," Corazon Scheppy, an American girl, told Xinhua at a cafe in the Haidian District of Beijing.
Last month, China's central bank, along with several other government organs, jointly released a circular to make payments more accessible for foreigners visiting the country. The circular urged efforts to optimize bank card payment services, promote cash use, and facilitate mobile payment.
It followed a guideline issued by the country's State Council in early March, which detailed measures to help foreign nationals navigate different payment options in the country.
Over the past months, Chinese authorities, collaborating with commercial banks and retailer shops, have taken intensive steps to smooth payments for foreigners.
For example, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the nation's largest lender, has equipped 130,000 merchants with POS terminals that accept a wide range of international credit cards.
The latest survey showed that the acceptance rate of overseas cards in key areas of southern China's economic hub of Guangzhou has reached 90 percent. All subway stations and many taxis in Shanghai now accept payment via overseas bank cards.
For foreign visitors who prefer mobile payment, mobile payment services are available in Alipay and WeChat Pay, two predominant mobile payment service providers in China. Foreigners can link their international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to these platforms.
Among its facilitating measures, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) has instructed major payment platforms to increase the single transaction limit from 1,000 U.S. dollars to 5,000 dollars and the annual cumulative transaction cap from 10,000 dollars to 50,000 dollars for overseas travelers using mobile payments.
Another payment option, and quite a red-hot one as well, is a digital RMB wallet, which is also well-received by foreign visitors. "It's really a novel and creative way of making payment in digital RMB, and the paying procedure is so simple and so easy," noted Larissa Lima, a traveler from Brazil.
The bank told her that she could register and open an RMB wallet just with her overseas mobile phone number, and the wallet could be used after binding her international credit cards, including Visa or Mastercard, among other options, with the platform.
Data from the PBOC showed that over 900,000 inbound travelers used mobile payment from January to February this year, completing more than 20 million transactions worth some 3 billion yuan (about 422.16 million U.S. dollars).
In the meantime, the country is also working on measures to enhance cash services. Over 60,000 bank outlets nationwide now offer foreign currency exchange services. International travelers can acquire RMB banknotes through self-service kiosks located at airports, border ports, and other key locations.
Some commercial banks have established cooperation mechanisms with taxi companies by providing customized denomination mix of banknotes for the drivers to meet the needs of cash users, especially foreign visitors.
Major cultural and tourism attractions have also been directed to retain ticket booths and ticketing staff to accommodate visitors who prefer cash payment options.
In the next step, priority will be given to setting up foreign currency exchange institutions and facilities at airport arrivals to ensure that key places like ports and hotels have at least one foreign currency exchange channel, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. ■
