Exploring Asia cashless: GCash and Alipay+ pave the way for seamless travel

Filipino travelers can now enjoy a seamless cashless experience in more destinations with the expanded partnership between GCash, the country’s leading finance super app, and Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and digitalization solutions operated by Ant International. This partnership enables the convenience of GCash’s Scan-to-Pay feature most recently in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Thailand, and the UAE at select Alipay+-enabled stores, bringing the total number of markets to more than 45.

Through this partnership, Filipinos traveling to China—whether for business in Shanghai Expos or sightseeing in Beijing—can enjoy the convenience of GCash’s Scan-to-Pay feature and seamless transactions with no service fees and low foreign exchange rates.

With Alipay+ available to over 80 million merchants in the Chinese mainland, GCash users will be able to make the most of their trip by saving with each transaction. Some partners in the Chinese capital of Beijing and the cosmopolitan hub of Shanghai include Shangri-La Hotels, Haidilao Hot Pot, Coucou Hot Pot, Dada Le Restaurant, KFC, McDonald’s and other coffee and tea shops, convenience stores, and retail outlets. China is one of the top cashless economies in the world, and navigating the country as a Filipino is made easier with GCash.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong, a city known for its unique blend of urban and natural landscapes, is also among the destinations where GCash users can now enjoy cashless transactions. Filipino tourists can effortlessly pay for their experiences such as shopping sprees, sightseeing, food trips, and the like. The use of GCash at Alipay+-enabled stores includes iconic attractions such as Ocean Park and Ngong Ping 360.

With GCash’s cashless payment feature, Filipino tourists can also explore Hong Kong, Macao, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand and other markets. Partner merchants include Sands Resorts Macao, Wynn Resorts, Duty-Free Americas, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, and McDonald’s in Macao. In the UAE, GCash payments are accepted at Dubai Duty-Free, Dubai Mall, Mall of Emirates, Wemart, and Abu Dhabi taxis. In Thailand, Alipay+ is accepted at more than 400,000 stores and users can transact at merchants such as Central Retail, The Mall Group, King Power Mahanakhon, and Jim Thompson House Museum.

To pay at partner merchants, users simply need to look for the Alipay+ logo at checkout, open the GCash app, select the QR or PayQR button, and either scan the merchant’s QR code or generate an Alipay+ QR code for the merchant to scan. Then, confirm the amount and click Pay to complete the transaction.

“We want to make sure every Filipino can maximize their GCash account wherever they are across the world. We are glad to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Alipay+ and expand GCash’s capabilities and services to more destinations in Asia and all over the globe,” GCash International General Manager Paul Albano said.

“We’re continuing to work with GCash to make it easier for Filipinos traveling overseas to enjoy seamless payment in more destinations around the world, transparent fees and access more destination promotions. As we head towards the year-end travel season, this will make travel to these popular destinations more convenient, and Filipinos can simply travel with their preferred home payment app, GCash,” said Edward Yue, General Manager of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Ant International.

As GCash celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, it is committed to opening up more possibilities for digital financial inclusion to Filipinos, wherever they may be, in line with the vision of “Finance For All.”

For more information on where you can pay with GCash, visit https://new.gcash.com/services/pay-qr/global-pay#merchants.