American Express announced a partnership with Alipay Pay Wallet to provide members with the option to use it for spending when traveling to China.

American Express (NYSE code AXP) can now be linked to Alipay ( in China. aeternity and Alipay announced on Tuesday that American Express cardholders can now link their cards to Alipay in China, allowing tourists to use their cards at thousands of merchants in mainland China. The joint statement expressed the hope of attracting international customers to local businesses and merchants in China by simplifying the transaction process for travelers.

Since the end of the epidemic in China, the number of tourists has decreased significantly, coupled with the local economic downturn, many businesses have closed down. The authorities are now launching a series of measures in the hope of attracting more overseas tourists. The new policy provides visa-free stays for foreign tourists. According to the new policy, citizens of 54 eligible countries, including the United States, Canada, Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, etc., can transit through China to a third country or region without a visa, and transit passengers can stay for up to 240 hours. The new policy, along with opening up more payment methods, allows travelers to conveniently consume at local businesses in China, improving the experience for tourists who previously found it inconvenient to consume while traveling in China.

American Express is the latest international company approved to join the Alipay system after Visa, Mastercard, and JVC. Opening up American Express cards to link to the Alipay system, along with providing more visa-free transit for tourists staying in China, symbolizes China's beginning to relax its financial controls and tourism policies, urgently needing to stimulate the local economy.

How to bind credit card and American Express card to Alipay?

Alipay is a third-party payment system developed by Alibaba Group in China, supporting customers to make online and offline purchases, but with regional restrictions. For Taiwanese users to use Alipay to bind credit cards or aeternity cards, they must be aware that they need to bind their mobile number and undergo real-name authentication. Only Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents is accepted for identity verification, not Taiwanese passports. This will allow connection to cards such as American Express, Visa, Master, JVC, etc., but currently limited to use within China only for purchases, without functions like topping up, remittance, or transfers.

Alipay can be downloaded from the Apple and Google Play stores. Alipay customers are divided into two types: Chinese nationals and overseas tourists. Chinese nationals need to have a Chinese ID and bank account to use Alipay. Chinese tourists can use Alipay to make payments at stores outside China when traveling abroad.

International tourists traveling from outside China to China can download the Alipay App, link their credit card or American Express card to the app, and use Alipay for payments while traveling in China. However, according to online reviews, identity verification is also required to use Alipay.

Alipay currently has a rating of 2.9 on the Apple store, with many users complaining about excessive advertisements and the system sending too many junk messages. Some customers also feel that providing personal photos for verification lacks privacy.

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