- The ‘tap’ payment feature is expanding beyond payments into dining, travel and AI-powered services
- Inbound tourists also drove a surge in holiday spending through Alipay’s international payment solutions
Alipay’s tap-to-pay transactions surged during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, highlighting the rapid adoption of contactless payments as the platform expands beyond traditional mobile payments.
The number of offline transactions made through Alipay’s “tap” feature rose nearly 40% year on year during the eight-day holiday period, according to data released by Alipay on October 7.
The feature allows users to unlock their phones and tap a merchant device to complete payments without opening the app, reducing friction compared with traditional QR-code payments.
Foreign visitors boost holiday spending
Inbound tourism also contributed to stronger holiday consumption. During the first four days of the holiday, spending by overseas visitors using Alipay’s international payment services — including linking foreign bank cards to Alipay and Alipay+ cross-border solutions — increased nearly 50% year on year.
The fourth day of the holiday marked the peak for inbound travel spending. Visitors from Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Malaysia and South Korea ranked among the top five sources of inbound spending.
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Jinhua, Chongqing, Nanjing and Suzhou were the most popular destinations for overseas users paying through Alipay.
Some smaller cities also saw strong growth. Meishan in Sichuan province, known for its connection to ancient Chinese writer Su Shi (苏轼), recorded a more than 400% year-on-year increase in inbound Alipay spending, driven by cultural tourism activities.
From payments to AI services
Alipay also partnered with eight Chinese cities — including Changsha, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai — on a campaign encouraging visitors to explore local attractions and businesses. The initiative attracted more than 1 million check-ins and helped boost foot traffic in commercial areas.
Li Jiajia (李佳佳), vice president of Ant Group, said Alipay’s tap feature has evolved beyond distributing consumer vouchers into a broader tool for combining payments with cultural, tourism and commercial activities.
Launched in June 2024, the tap-to-pay function has expanded into more than 300 scenarios, including ordering food, unlocking doors and ticket verification.
Alipay said the feature has also received an AI upgrade, allowing millions of merchant devices to run its AI agent “Xiaoyu” (晓雨), turning the payment network into a broader entry point for offline AI services.
The company said the feature surpassed 100 million users within 321 days of launch, making it one of Ant Group’s most successful products after Yu’e Bao, its landmark money-market fund launched in 2013.
Header image credit: Alipay
