Readers who regularly follow 101 Newsflash may remember that I previously posted a similar update about WeChat Pay:

Although that was not actually true at first, shortly afterward both I and many 101 readers began discovering that a lot of mini-program merchants and WeChat merchants in the app’s payment grid really did start allowing US credit cards and other foreign credit cards for both online and in-person QR code payments. I even wrote what may be one of the most comprehensive guides online for using US credit cards with WeChat Pay:

Today, while shopping for clothes, I, KUKU, scanned a merchant QR code and discovered that Alipay also lets you select a foreign credit card (in my case, definitely a US card). Although the payment ultimately did not go through, it still looks like a positive sign, similar to what we previously saw with WeChat. Here are the details:

  • After scanning the merchant’s QR code, I found that I really could choose a Master or Visa credit card.
  • The reverse also works: the merchant can scan your code. On the app home page, you can select your US Master/VISA credit card first and then let the merchant scan you.
  • After continuing to pay, it prompts you to enter MM/YY and CVV. At the same time, there is no fee option shown (unlike Alipay’s often-seen 3% fee in many cases).
  • Unfortunately, Alipay ultimately says that the merchant does not support this payment method. The error code has been redacted here.

You can try it yourself in Alipay. On the home page payment code screen, it really does let you choose a linked US credit card.

My guess is that, just like when WeChat suddenly started allowing US cards for QR code payments, some merchants should already support this. When I get the chance, I’ll try again with merchants that have higher foreign-currency transaction volume. Healthy competition between Alibaba and Tencent is definitely a good thing, and further rollout is probably just a matter of time or merchant support. Also, after writing the WeChat guide, I also put together a short guide on using US credit cards with Alipay (including a few use cases you may not have thought of). I’ll publish it once it’s finished. Stay tuned to our blog.