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September 13, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

No cash, no card? No problem with Alipay

By Wu Huixin | September 13, 2016, Tuesday | Print Edition

THOSE who envision a future without cash or credit cards may not be so far-fetched in their thinking, especially in the city that is home to e-commerce giant Alibaba.

In Hangzhou, users of Alibaba’s Alipay service can order takeaways, pay utility bills, book express delivery services, trace packages, call taxis, buy train tickets, book outpatient hospital services and pay school tuition fee via the online platform.

Alipay is China’s largest third-party online payment platform. The two bigger rivals are Tenpay and China Unionpay.

Last month, Thomas Derksen, a media celebrity known for his fun videos on the social-networking site Weibo, accepted the challenge of spending a day in Hangzhou with neither cash nor plastic cards.

“It was unbelievable,” said the German expat, who now lives in Shanghai. “I could even buy street snacks with Alipay. In that respect, Hangzhou is different from Shanghai. Even its roadside vendors and buses accept online payment.”

Ant Financial, parent of Alipay, reported that more than 22,000 restaurants, 95 percent of convenience stores and 98 percent of taxis in Hangzhou accept online payment.

Even local wet markets, small fruit shops and nighttime food stalls have gone cashless. Customers need only scan in a QR code and pay through the software. No more worries about losing wallets or having them stolen. Life gets easier and easier in the city.

During his one-day trip to Hangzhou, Derksen used Alipay to buy food and take the bus. He said such ease of mobile payments would be hard to imagine back home in Europe.

Last month, the city began linking online payment systems with public transportation. Passengers pay their fares by scanning QR codes when they board a bus.

At the beginning of this year, Ant Financial launched Zhima Credit on Alipay, in cooperation with Hangzhou credit departments. Users can now track their own credit status via the platform.

Nowadays, more than 4,000 umbrellas and 1600 hand-hold charge pals are available in public places, including railway stations, cinemas and shopping malls. Any Alipay user with a credit score above 600 can rent them for free for a week. Zhima Credit also applies to the publicly run rental bicycle program, allowing qualified users to pay digitally. A 200-yuan (US$30) deposit is frozen if the bicycle isn’t returned on time.

Every day, more than 310,000 Hangzhou residents ride public bicycles under a program aimed at relieving traffic congestion. Formerly, the service was available only to local residents holding a membership card. Alipay has widened access to the service to out-of-town visitors.

Zhejiang Library has become the first public library to offer services based on Alipay. Users can search for books, apply for a library card, and borrow and return books through the system.

In July, National School of Development at Peking University released a report showing that Hangzhou’s “digital inclusive financing index” ranks first in the country. Inclusive financing refers to the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to disadvantaged and low-income segments of society.

Hangzhou topped the field in mobile payments, creditworthiness checks, wealth management and insurance — achievements linked to its booming information economy.

The Hangzhou Development and Reform Commission said more public services would be linked to online payment accounts in the future.

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