Wechat-Pay Expands Overseas: China's leading e-wallet service comes to 600+ Stores in Singapore

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WeChat Pay, one of China's leading e-wallet services is expanding its business in Singapore. Starting from Nov. the 1st, shoppers will be able to use WeChat pay to make payments at more than 600 stores across Singapore. CGTN's Miro Lu has more details.

If you like using WeChat Pay, then shopping in Singapore just got a whole lot easier. Customers at Cold Storage, 7 Eleven, Giant and Guardian will now be able to make purchases using the WeChat Pay app. Retail giant, Dairy Farm Singapore and Nets have announced their partnership with WeChat Pay to offer the digital payment option at over 600 outlets across the island.

ALVIN SECK, HEAD OF MERCHANT SERVICES NETSS "NETS is all about adding value to the merchants, allowing convenience for payments, so of course we partnered our merchants as well as our vendors and solution providers in order to make it convenient for consumers to make payment at dairy farm group."

According to the Singapore Tourism Board, visitor arrivals from China rose by almost 13 per cent from 2016 to 2017.

WeChat Pay will determine the foreign exchange charge at the point-of-sale, and users will be shown the charges in Chinese yuan. NETS says that the retails stores will make use of its existing P.O.S. terminals to accept WeChat Pay by scanning a NETS QR code, thereby making it convenient for both the customers and the vendors.

ALVIN SECK, HEAD OF MERCHANT SERVICES NETS "We want to make it convenient for our merchants so that we can have a single terminal and of course we work with our partners, our vendors, so whatever the merchants want we will make it available for them so that they have a single point of sale to facilitate payment acceptance at their outlets."

Before its official release to all outlets, the payment option was piloted at Changi Airport and at a few outlets in tourist hotspots of Orchard and Chinatown. Judging from the customer feedback, people are extremely happy with the convenience that WeChat Pay provides.

YAP SHUI WEE 26 YEAR OLD "It's quite convenient for us because I don't need to bring the cash, I can just use my hand phone and scan and make the payment. I don't need to worry that my wallet will get lost or go missing."

ONG KIM WEE 39-YEAR-OLD "Given the fact that, for example, as the technology move more advanced, people only carry so much hard cash or even using their cards."

WeChat Pay services are currently available in 40 countries worldwide, catering to a tourism sector that made over 130 million trips in 2017, And with the holiday season right around the corner, the tie-up between NETS, Dairy Farm and WeChat is sure to make payments much easier for Chinese tourists visiting Singapore this year. Miro Lu, CGTN, Singapore.