Alipay+, e-wallets encourage sustainable travel in new campaign

Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment platform by Ant International, unveiled a year-end initiative promoting sustainable cross-border travel. This campaign, lasting until Dec. 31, caters to users of five major Asian e-wallets: Alipay (mainland China), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Touch ’n Go eWallet by TNG Digital (Malaysia), GCash (the Philippines), and TrueMoney (Thailand).

Primarily focusing on Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, the campaign features incentives in collaboration with global industry leaders and local small and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs), offering diverse options to travelers.

“Our year-end campaign is not just about travel; it’s about making a positive impact,” said Dr. Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services, Ant International. “By collaborating with partners who share our commitment to sustainability, we are offering travelers the chance to explore the world responsibly.”

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Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Alipay+ and its partners promote responsible tourism across their markets, integrating an ESG program into their initiatives.

Special offerings

The campaign highlights special offers encouraging sustainable travel behaviors. These include free overseas mobile data packages, in-app discounts across Alipay+’s vast merchant network, and chances to secure 100% rebates at partner stores. Travelers are incentivized to opt for digital payments, use public transportation, carry personal essentials like toothbrushes, and explore diverse local destinations, supporting local economies and preserving cultures.

Alipay’s expansion included collaborations with major international card organizations to facilitate foreign cardholders visiting China. In 2023, Alipay+ facilitated 10 Asian e-wallets and banking apps in China, enabling their users to transact domestically. Over 3 million Chinese merchants, including small businesses, completed their initial international transactions through Alipay+.

Connecting with Southern China’s travel surge, 220 prominent merchants in Shenzhen joined the year-end promotion, attracting AlipayHK and mPay users with discounts worth up to HK$14,000 (about US$1,793).

To assess the campaign’s ESG impact, Alipay+ collaborates with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and an advisory group comprising experts from prestigious universities to gauge travelers’ carbon footprint reduction, local business impact, cultural preservation, and business practices enhancement.

Since its 2020 launch, Alipay+ expanded, connecting 88 million merchants in 57 markets to 1.5 billion payment accounts across 25 digital wallets, banking apps, and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) apps.