Tan Yifan

cicitan2011@gmail.com

AMIDST China’s persistent endeavors to attract and embrace more international visitors, a growing number of expatriates are opting for China as a destination, either for travel or to rebuild their lives post-pandemic. However, acclimating to the nuances of Chinese daily life, particularly in areas such as making daily payment and accommodation, remains a challenge for newcomers. Despite the introduction of five measures by the Central Government aimed at facilitating expat entry in January, a surge in arrivals has underscored the challenges met in adapting to China’s cashless society.

To address the issue, on March 7, the State Council issued guidelines to optimize payment services for expats and the elderly, encouraging society to implement more practical measures to alleviate these barriers. Notably, foreigners would be able to spend up to US$5,000 on a single mobile payment transaction, up from the previous US$1,000 limit.

However, the swift transition to a cashless society in China, coupled with foreign consumption habits rooted in cash and credit cards, has created a gap for the Chinese society and its visitors. The preferences of overseas individuals for physical credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and JCB, clash with the widespread use of mobile payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay in China, which poses challenges for many foreigners upon their arrival.

Expats in China, especially those in first-tier cities, experience a decrease in POS machines, businesses not giving change, and a reliance on WeChat Pay and Alipay. Even when establishments accept foreign cards, high transaction fees often lead to hesitations among both short-term travelers and merchants. Moreover, the absence of detailed information guides leaves many expats inconvenienced during the payment process.

Even though the two prominent Chinese payment platforms announced the streamlining of foreign card-binding procedures and the facilitation of small payments without identity authentication last week, ongoing limitations persist. These include a 3% extra transaction fee if one is using an overseas bank card to make digital payments for amounts exceeding 200 yuan (US$28.18) and the continued inability of overseas bank cards to support certain transactions, such as red packet transfers and personal transfers. Additionally, many extended city services on Alipay and WeChat Pay remain inaccessible to foreigners, further complicating the lives of expats in China.

Apart from payment challenges, expatriates in China face additional daily life hurdles, including uncertainties surrounding hotel bookings, difficulties accessing dining discounts without specific apps like Meituan, and a lack of information on purchasing public transportation cards. Some visitors also encounter issues obtaining a QR code for transportation.

To tackle these issues, there is a need to act and provide comprehensive information guides for expats. Beyond learning a new language, they must adapt to an entirely different set of survival rules. To make expats’ lives more convenient in China, resolving payment issues is crucial, but it is equally vital to also educate them on using new survival tools and adapting to new norms.

Fortunately, cities like Shenzhen are responding swiftly. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, for instance, has implemented widespread acceptance of mainstream payment methods, including cash, Visa, Mastercard, and digital yuan. Additionally, they are actively encouraging vendors to increase the number of POS machines and currency exchange booths.

Ensuring a smoother expatriate experience in China is an ongoing endeavor that demands cooperation from the government, businesses, and society. It is crucial to continually refine payment services, improve information guides, and offer a variety of accommodation and consumption options to establish a more welcoming and convenient living environment for international visitors and investors.

(The author is the brand marketing head of Shenzhen Daily.)