Chinese mobile payment giants WeChat Pay and Alipay have teamed up with tax refund firms with the aim of easing the tax rebate process for Chinese tourists at airports.
WeChat Pay late last month partnered Switzerland-based tax refund company Global Blue to provide instant tax refunds for Chinese tourists departing Madrid airport.
A similar service was rolled out using Alipay at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Users of the service can get their tax refunds settled in Chinese yuan and sent instantly to their WeChat wallet or Alipay accounts after their tax refund forms are processed.
Both services utilize QR codes – the tax refund staff will scan the QR codes on users’ smartphones to credit the refund into their accounts.
WeChat users will need to first access a Tax Refund mini-app from within their WeChat app to facilitate the refund, but Alipay users can use the QR code directly in their app to receive the funds.
Global Blue is also working with EuroPass, a specialist in rolling out WeChat payments in Europe, to offer in-store refunds across Europe within the year. This initiative will allow tax refunds to be paid directly to travelers’ Alipay and WeChat Pay wallets.
First published in Retail Tech Innovation