SINGAPORE: Singaporeans travelling in China can now make QR code payments with their DBS PayLah! app at more than 100 million merchants across the country, without incurring additional transaction fees.
In a statement on Thursday (Nov 12), DBS Bank announced that app users can make QR payments at these Alipay and Weixin Pay partner merchants, which range from popular retailers such as Pop Mart and Songmont to neighbourhood shops and restaurants.
The move, DBS said, makes it the first local bank to support QR payment methods across all three major QR payment ecosystems in China, adding to its existing UnionPay tie-up.
With the integration, DBS PayLah! users can conduct two-way QR transactions at major retail chains, paying with competitive exchange rates and with no additional transaction fees.
They can either scan the merchant’s code or generate a code for the merchant to scan. Before confirming payments, they can also view the amount in China’s renminbi, the applicable exchange rate, and the Singapore dollar equivalent.
DBS’ expanded payment offering comes on the back of growing post-pandemic travel to China.
According to China’s National Immigration Administration, foreign visitors took 11.6 million trips to the country from July to September, which is 15.6% more than the same period a year ago.
Singapore was among the top 10 countries for foreign visitor arrivals in that period, according to the Chinese agency.
Tapping into this travel momentum, DBS said its expanded payment offering caters to growing local demand for trips to China.
“Payments are key to discovering everything China has to offer, especially as customer interest in ‘China-maxxing’ continues to rise,” said Calvin Ong, head of the consumer banking group at DBS Singapore.
He added that the bank’s partnerships with financial technology companies Ant International and TenPay Global also allow customers to transact without requiring Chinese merchants to alter their existing checkout set-ups.
Beyond China, DBS has been steadily plugging its app into regional payment networks, including Malaysia’s DuitNow, Thailand’s PromptPay and Indonesia’s QRIS.
In October, the bank announced that it had expanded DBS PayLah! acceptance in Taiwan, allowing users to scan and pay at more than 250,000 merchant locations displaying the Taiwan QR Code label.
In its Nov 12 statement, DBS also said that there will be two cashback deals from Nov 16 to Jan 31, 2027, allowing DBS PayLah! users to enjoy additional savings when making overseas QR payments.
Users making their first overseas QR payment via the app can get up to $3 cashback with no minimum spend across China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan.
The deal applies to newly launched services in China (Alipay and Weixin Pay) and existing services in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan.
DBS PayLah! users can also get a $3 cashback on their first Alipay QR transaction, with minimum spend of $6. Eligible app users who meet both criteria can stack the deals for up to $6 in total cashback on a single transaction. - The Straits Times/ANN
