Beijing has taken the lead in launching payment service demonstration zones at its airports. Its citywide efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of payment services for foreigners have produced fruitful results.

Foreign Currency Exchange Outlets Readily Available at Beijing’s Two Airports

Airports are the primary entry point for foreign nationals visiting China. The two airports in the city, Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, have significantly improved their payment services. Zhou Junming, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Beijing Municipal Branch of the People’s Bank of China, stated that with the establishment of the payment service demonstration zones and payment service centers for international visitors, the two airports now have a comprehensive, multi-channel, and multi-dimensional payment environment, effectively addressing various payment barriers. Recently, Beijing Capital International Airport has added signage for the payment service center in its arrival hall, and both airports have put in place more kiosks for currency exchange, small-denomination cash exchange, and facilities selling the transportation cards (Yikatong).

Thanks to continuous enhancements, the two airports now feature five bank outlets, seven outlets of licensed foreign currency exchange agencies for individuals, four self-service machines for foreign currency exchange, and 24 ATMs. These have brought multiple positive results. First, all the merchants in the two airports now accept overseas bank cards; second, small-denomination cash can be withdrawn from all the ATMs there; and, additionally, foreign currency exchange outlets can be found in both the international departure and arrival areas of the two airports, offering over 40 types of currencies.

Since their launch on February 5 and up until April 21, the airport payment service centers had provided services to 6,050 overseas travelers; the payment service demonstration zones had processed a total of 203,000 transactions through overseas bank cards, amounting to 58.907 million yuan; 37,000 transactions for foreign currency exchange and cash withdrawals with overseas bank cards had been completed, totaling 46.268 million yuan.

Continuous Optimization of Payment Environment in Key Scenarios

At Shangri-La Beijing, foreign guests queuing to check in can see several bilingual signs on the reception desk, indicating “Cash Payment Accepted” and “Currency Exchange”. There are also signs showing the various foreign cards accepted for payments and instructions on how to use mobile payments. The cashier desk is fully stocked with changes provided by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Most guests use bank cards or cash, while some guests also pay via QR codes adeptly.

Beijing has focused on key areas and links to optimize payment services across the board. The Beijing Municipal Branch of the People’s Bank of China, in collaboration with relevant authorities, has identified approximately 11,000 key merchants based on the eight major scenarios of dining, accommodation, transport, tourism, shopping, entertainment, healthcare, and education. Moreover, the branch facilitates the collaboration between merchants and acquiring institutions, ensuring overall improvement across diverse areas, including bank card acceptance, cash services, foreign currency exchange, mobile payments, and account services.

In terms of bank card acceptance, relevant authorities in the city are making concerted efforts to add new foreign card POS machines or upgrade existing ones at key merchants, securing rapid improvement in a short period. As of now, over 80% of the merchants on the initial key merchants list accept major foreign cards such as Visa and Mastercard. Regarding foreign currency exchange services, relevant authorities support hotels in adding facilities for foreign currency exchange. Currently, there are 13 outlets of licensed foreign currency exchange agencies, 74 self-service currency exchange machines, and 184 foreign currency exchange counters that provide regular services.

“Change Purse” Services Available in Each and Every Bank Outlet

Many foreign nationals visiting China are accustomed to using cash, and one of the challenges was getting change. How is the current situation with cash payments?

Nowadays, signs indicating “Cash Payment Accepted” can be easily found at the cash registers of most merchants in various places such as scenic spots, parks, and commercial areas, as well as inside taxis in Beijing.

As to cash services, the Beijing Municipal Branch of the People’s Bank of China has ensured that its 3,800 outlets across the city all provide “Change Purse” services, and the branch has also set up exchange service counters at the “Taxi Workers’ Homes” at airports. As of April 21, the city had distributed 235,000 standardized yet diversified “Change Purses”, an increase of 182,000 from the end of February, and had launched a special initiative to distribute “Change Purses” to taxi drivers. Currently, there are 11,600 self-service devices in the city that support cash withdrawals from overseas bank cards, and 100 ATMs that support small denomination cash withdrawals.

“Cards for large payments, QR codes for small payments, and cash as a fallback” is the solution proposed by the People’s Bank of China to enhance payment convenience for foreign nationals in China. Regarding mobile payment, Beijing has taken the lead in the country in increasing the transaction limits for “overseas bank cards linked to Chinese payment apps” (which refers to the overseas bank cards linked to Alipay or Tenpay for transactions in China). The limit for transactions without the need to verify personal identity information has been raised to 2,000 dollars, while the limit for verified transactions has been increased to 5,000 dollars per transaction and 50,000 dollars annually.

The Implementation Plan of Beijing Municipality for Further Optimizing Payment Services and Enhancing Payment Convenience was recently issued, outlining 22 key tasks and setting forth a timeline and roadmap for improving payment convenience. Moving forward, Beijing will follow the Implementation Plan and ensure the high-quality implementation of these tasks to deliver better payment services to foreign nationals in Beijing.

(Compiled based on reports from Beijing Daily)