Alipay will be making travels of Chinese tourists more convenient as the online payment platform will soon be accessible in some international airports. So instead of shelling out foreign currencies, Chinese travelers can eventually pay their bills through the app.

In a press conference earlier this week, Alipay revealed it closed a deal with ten international airports in Germany, Singapore, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau through its "Airport of the Future" initiative. The program is part of its efforts to offer convenience to its nearly half a billion users, Global Times reported.

Like Us on Facebook

"Alipay is built into the daily lives of over 450 million users when they are in China, and we want to replicate the experience for them when they travel abroad," Douglas Feagin, Senior Vice President of Ant Financial, which owns Alipay, said.

"Airports are travelers' first stop and by working with the world's most popular airports, we are providing our users with payment and location-based information to make their visits to a foreign city more comfortable."

Other than paying for the purchases, Alipay can also come as a handy guide that will help travelers locate shopping malls and dining areas partnered with Alipay. Furthermore, it is also offering other services such as flight reminders, hotel reservation, indoor navigation, and Wi-Fi connection through the Alipay app, according to state-run Xinhua News agency.

Alipay's service will begin to roll out in nine of the airports next month, just in time for the start of the "Golden Week" when many Chinese people are expected to travel. On the other hand, the Singaporean airport will start the business by the end of the year, China.org noted.

Alipay targets to penetrate at least 30 airports in the future.

TagsAlipay, digital payment, Airport of the Future, airports, Travel