East China's Shanghai is rapidly becoming a benchmark city for payment convenience, especially for foreign visitors.

In the first half of 2024, the city's payment service providers processed over 22 million transactions for expats, totaling 7.8 billion yuan ($1.07 billion). 

This marked a sevenfold increase in the transaction volume and a 1.2 times growth in transaction value compared with the previous year.

What's more, the city has significantly expanded its payment infrastructure. By June 30, some 50,000 merchants and over 70,000 terminals were equipped to accept foreign cards, more than doubling the figures from the end of the previous year. 

Additionally, cash services have improved, with 9,000 ATMs now able to dispense RMB to foreign cardholders.

Mobile payment options have also seen remarkable growth. Alipay, Wexin Pay and UnionPay International's services for foreign users recorded nearly 19.5 million transactions worth 2.3 billion yuan in the first half of the year. This represented an 11.3 times increase in the transaction volume and an 8.8 times increase in transaction value year-on-year.

A significant development is the one-stop comprehensive service center for expats at Terminal 2 of the Pudong International Airport, which began trial operations on June 29. 

This 24/7 facility offers payment, communication, tourism and transportation services to foreign arrivals.

The brand new service center designed for expats. [Photo by Li Junfeng/China Daily]

These improvements are said to amply reflect Shanghai's commitment to enhancing its global financial status and creating a more welcoming environment for international visitors and businesses.