Touch ‘n Go eWallet has expanded its cross-border digital payments to Mainland China, which allows a seamless cashless experience when travelling abroad. Touch ‘n Go eWallet is also Malaysia’s first eWallet that can be used for payments in China and it is enabled through its collaboration with Alipay+, a global cross-border digital payment and market solutions operated by Ant Group.
TNG Digital CEO Alan Ni said “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Alipay+ on cross-border payment solutions and expand our service territory beyond Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Touch ‘n Go eWallet is the first Malaysian eWallet which can be used for payments in Mainland China. This augurs well for all our users travelling there as they will enjoy the ease of making cashless payments, and in Ringgit Malaysia as well.”
He added, “We expect our users to experience the same seamless convenience of using Touch ‘n Go eWallet in Mainland China as how they would in Malaysia, and with the assurance that their transactions are safe and secure. We will continue to grow our acceptance to more markets in time to come.”
Commenting on the new milestone, Alipay+ President for International Business Angel Zhao said “As businesses recover from the pandemic, Alipay+ is playing an important role in connecting global brands – both online and offline, big and small – withmobile-savvy consumers worldwide. Through simple adaption, more than 2.5 million merchants around the world are able to access and better serve the growing user population of various leading digital payments providers, as digital transformation takes hold around the world.”
To make a payment abroad using the Alipay+ network, just the TNG eWallet app, tap on “Pay” and then swipe the bottom tab up for Alipay+ options. An Alipay+ QR code will appear and you can present this to the cashier or the payment terminal at a store that displays the Alipay+ logo. The Alipay+ feature in TNG eWallet now supports a total of 10 countries and regions including Mainland China, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.
According to Touch ‘n Go, Alipay+ has been gaining ground in markets including Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan, and has connected local and regional merchants through various digital payment methods. Globally, Alipay+ covers over 1,000 online platforms, more than 10 major airports, over 90,000 convenience stores, over 360,000 restaurants, nearly 200,000 taxis, as well as major hotel brands, department stores, duty-free shops and tourist facilities in Asia and Europe. In total, there are over 2.5 million merchants that support Alipay+, while Alipay has over 80 million merchants.
[ UPDATE 9/11/2022 11:30 ] Touch ‘n Go has confirmed that Alipay+ can only work with merchants that display the Alipay+ logo. It isn’t backward compatible with Alipay.
Malaysians wanting to use Alipay in Mainland China would have to set up an Alipay Tour Pass account via the AliPay app. The Tour Pass will automatically create a virtual prepaid card that’s valid for 90 days. You can top up from a minimum of CNY 100 (about RM65) and up to a maximum wallet size of CNY 2,000 (about RM1,306) using an international credit and debit card. If you have any remaining balance, it will be refunded back to your registered card after 90 days.
