In order to further meet the needs of overseas personnel to facilitate payment, Beijing Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport Overseas Guest Payment Service Demonstration Zone were officially opened on February 5, which will provide bank card payment, mobile payment, RMB cash exchange and other services. This is also the first time that China has set up a demonstration area for overseas guest payment services.
The newly opened Overseas Guest Payment Service Demonstration Zone can provide a variety of services such as foreign card swiping, QR code payment, foreign currency exchange, and cash use for overseas guests as soon as they arrive in Beijing, covering shopping, catering, transportation and other scenarios.
Zhou Junming, Vice President of the Beijing Branch of the People's Bank of China: The merchants here have basically achieved full coverage of accepting foreign cards, and posted eye-catching and unified service signs for accepting foreign card types and mobile payments such as cash, as long as foreigners have one of them, the service needs here can be satisfied.
Wei Side, who is from the United States, has worked in Beijing for more than 20 years, and although his Visa card can basically be used in daily life, it is always inconvenient when it comes to scanning the QR code for consumption. This time at the Capital Airport, he smoothly linked his bank card to the QR code payment software.
According to reports, due to the different payment habits between China and foreign countries, some overseas personnel in China will feel inconvenient in daily payment. To this end, the People's Bank of China has clarified improvement measures such as overseas bank card acceptance, mobile payment, cash use, and account services according to the idea of "large-value card swiping, small-amount code scanning, and cash pocketing".
Large-amount card swiping, small-amount code scanning, cash pocket
Large-amount card swiping, small-amount code scanning, cash pocket", have these solutions been implemented at present? Is it more convenient for foreigners to make payments in China?
At this hotel in Beijing, the reporter met Matlow from Australia. At check-in, he can directly swipe his credit card in Australia, without the need for a new Chinese credit card or bank card.
Australian Traveler Matlow: It's very, very convenient, you can use your own credit card directly, all forms of credit cards can be used in the hotel.
The manager of the hotel told reporters that from the second half of 2023, the number of foreign guests staying at the hotel has increased significantly. Unlike Chinese residents, who are accustomed to electronic payments such as WeChat Pay and Alipay, foreign tourists have their own obvious payment preferences. As the number of foreign guests increases, hotels have also upgraded and revamped their services specifically for their payment needs.
General Manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing, Frank Ran: For foreign guests who come to Beijing and come to China, most of them want to pay directly with their credit cards and exchange a little cash for daily expenses. In terms of cash exchange, we can exchange more than 15 currencies, including all major Western and Asian currencies. And we accept all major credit cards without any hassle.
The reporter learned that these transformations are an important part of the "large-value card swiping, small-amount code scanning, and cash pocket" solution proposed by the People's Bank of China. The so-called "large-value card swiping" is to allow more merchants to accept overseas bank cards. At present, the People's Bank of China has begun to sort out the acceptance of outdoor cards of domestic merchants under its jurisdiction, and accelerate the promotion of key merchants to open foreign card acceptance, so as to facilitate foreigners to come to China to spend directly with their cards.
At present, Beijing is promoting the deployment of POS machines in key business districts, scenic spots, parks, star-rated hotels and other key scenes, or upgrading the acceptance capacity of wild cards.
In response to the cash withdrawal problem that foreign visitors to China are concerned about, the People's Bank of China also organized banks to carry out ATM foreign card acceptance transformation to improve the ATM coverage rate that supports foreign card cash withdrawal.
Zhang Wenyu, Bank Card Center, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Beijing Branch: ICBC's personal foreign exchange business outlets in Beijing can provide personal foreign currency cash exchange business. ICBC's 150 outbound financial service centers can support the exchange of 22 foreign currency banknotes, and nearly 3,000 ATMs support foreign card cash withdrawal.
Digital CNY hard wallets enhance the payment experience
In addition to credit cards and mobile payments, many places are also actively exploring innovative applications of digital yuan to provide products that are more in line with the habits of overseas residents.
As soon as Mr. Li, a Hong Kong citizen, passed the border in the morning, he came to the bank to inquire about the handling of the digital yuan hard wallet.
Mr. Li told reporters that in the past, when he came to Shenzhen for consumption, the payment for consumption was more cumbersome and restricted. Nowadays, the launch of the e-CNY hard wallet has made it more convenient for Hong Kong people to go north to Shenzhen to spend.
It is understood that after entering Shenzhen, Hong Kong residents can apply for a hard wallet with their Home Return Permit, and then use the stored value in their Hong Kong Octopus wallet to recharge the digital yuan hard wallet, and then they can participate in various consumption promotion activities in Shenzhen, and can also be applied to shopping, travel and other consumption scenarios.
In Shenzhen, there are currently 17 self-service card issuing machines for digital yuan hard wallets, with more than 250,000 Hong Kong people applied for a digital yuan hard wallet on their own.
Wang Haiwei, Head of Digital RMB Business of Bank of China Shenzhen Branch: In the near future, we will launch a hard wallet service for tourists from all over the world, who can apply for a digital RMB hard wallet after entering the country, so that they can not only immediately integrate into the domestic mobile payment environment, but also enjoy the discounts provided by various places to promote consumption.
*: CCTV news client.