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Visiting China just got a whole lot easier for international travelers. Starting Friday (July 21), visitors are able to link their Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) accounts to China’s most popular mobile payment platforms, allowing them to book taxis, ride the subway and pay for goods and services at millions of outlets across the near-cashless country. The move marks a revival of efforts by Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept foreign credit cards after they provided some limited access in late 2019. The companies said previously that they were acting under the guidance of Chinese regulators, as Beijing seeks to attract foreign investment and international travelers to boost its flagging economy. Alipay, China’s largest payment app operated by Ant Group, announced on Friday that overseas users can link cards issued by Visa and Mastercard, as well as Diners Club and Discover to their digital wallets. The change takes effect immediately. “As the Chengdu [World University Games] and the Hangzhou Asian Games approach, more and more foreign tourists have come to China, and they may need to use mobile payments for basic necessities of life,” the Hangzhou-based fintech giant, an affiliate of Alibaba Group (BABA), said in a statement. “Athletes and tourists from all over the world can use Alipay nationwide to enjoy various convenient services such as shopping, taking taxis, taking subways, and visiting scenic spots.” A day earlier, Tencent (TCEHY), which owns the country’s second most popular payment app WeChat Pay, made a similar announcement. WeChat Pay is officially known as Weixin Pay in China. WeChat users can now link credit or debit cards issued by Visa, Mastercard, JCB or Discover for payment at tens of millions of merchants in China, the social media and gaming company said. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/21/tech/china-alipay-wechat-pay-international-credit-cards-intl-hnk/index.html