China Travelers Link Mastercard, Visa to WeChat Pa

If you are a Mastercard or Visa cardholder who is thinking of travelling to China soon, we have some good news to share.

Accounts of Mastercard or Visa cards can now be linked to WeChat Pay, also known as Weixin Pay, and users will have access to their digital wallets to pay for expenses in China as long as the merchant accepts it as a payment method.

There are tens of millions of merchants in China that will accept this mode of payment.

These include expenses on public transport, hotels, dining, and shopping at supermarkets or malls, according to Tencent, the company that owns WeChat Pay.

However, for now, certain features, such as sending red packets and transferring money, will not be available for international cardholders.

Other things to note

If you are considering making some purchases with WeChat Pay while in China, do note that there is a limit of 6,000 yuan (S$1,119.77) for a single transaction.

There will also be a cumulative limit of 50,000 yuan (S$9,331.43) for monthly transactions and a cumulative limit of 60,000 yuan (S$11,197.72) for yearly transactions.

The exchange rate will be calculated based on the exchange rate of your card's card organisation (e.g., Mastercard, Visa) and the issuing bank.

There will also be a 3 per cent transaction fee for single transactions above 200 yuan (S$37.33).

For single transactions amounting to 200 yuan and below, WeChat Pay will absorb the transaction fees incurred.

WeChat first allowed travellers to China to link their international credit cards to WeChat Pay in 2019.

Before that, visitors to the country who did not have a card issued in China or a Chinese mobile number would not be able to use WeChat Pay, reported Xinhua News.

How to link your card

If you are not on WeChat yet, you can download the app from the App Store and register an account with your mobile number.

Those who are already using the app, do make sure your app is updated so that you can enjoy all the latest features.