Mainland China, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau.
If you are thinking of travelling to any of these places in 2024, we have some good news to share.
You can now skip the queue to exchange foreign currency and pay millions of merchants in these destinations using the OCBC Digital app as long as they accept payments via Alipay/ Alipay+ QR codes, according to OCBC.
You can tell whether the merchant accepts payments via Alipay/ Alipay+ QR codes by looking for the following acceptance marks at the store or the cashier:
Image via OCBC
For those wondering, Alipay+ is a global cross-border mobile payment and digital marketing solutions provider.
It is operated by Ant Group, an affiliate company of Alibaba Group founded by Jack Ma.
You can also use this service in other markets like the United States and UAE. More markets will be added progressively.
How it works
To enjoy the new feature, all you need is the OCBC Digital app. You do not need to download, set up, or fund any third-party payment apps.
Payments will be made directly from your OCBC Singapore bank accounts, meaning you will always be charged in Singapore dollars.
The minimum payment amount is S$0.10, while the maximum amount you can pay in a day is S$1,000.
Alipay+ will be offering the exchange rate applied.
According to OCBC, the exchange rate offered will be competitive and can be seen in real-time, with no additional fees and charges.
The ability to pay via Alipay using the OCBC Digital app will be especially useful for travellers to China, where cashless payments – especially QR code payments – are widely adopted.
Previously, visitors would have found it inconvenient to make mobile payments as it required a bank card issued in China or a Chinese mobile number, reported Xinhua News.
There are two ways that you can pay Alipay/ Alipay+ merchants with your OCBC Digital app.
Pay by scanning merchants’ QR code
The first is to scan the merchant’s QR code to initiate the transaction.
All you need to do is to open your OCBC Digital app and select “Scan & Pay” at the bottom of the screen.
Image via OCBC
Once you have scanned the merchant’s QR code, you can input the payment amount.
Image via OCBC
The live exchange rate will be displayed below.
Upon reviewing your payment details, you can slide to pay, and voila, you are done.
Image via OCBC
Pay by presenting your QR code
Alternatively, you can also make payments by letting the merchant scan your QR code.
You can retrieve your QR code by clicking “Show my QR” after selecting “Scan & Pay” in your OCBC Digital app.
Image via OCBC
Once you present your QR code to the merchant, you will be able to see the live exchange rate underneath the transaction amount.
Image via OCBC
After you have reviewed all the details, you can slide to make the payment.
Image via OCBC
Nice.
Other ways to pay while travelling
OCBC Digital app can also be used to pay UnionPay merchants in 47 markets worldwide.
Besides mainland China and Singapore, the feature can also be used in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, just to name a few destinations.
You can easily identify UnionPay merchants by looking out for the UnionPay logo at the store or the cashier:
Screenshot via OCBC
You will always be charged in Singapore dollars when using this feature. The maximum amount that can be paid in a day is S$1,000.
Besides UnionPay, you can also use your OCBC Digital app to make QR code payments in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia via Duit Now, Prompt Pay and Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) respectively.
Find out more about these features here.
This sponsored article by OCBC makes the writer even more excited about her upcoming trip to China.
Top images via Mothership & Alipay+