This Overseas QR Payment Lets You Shop Fuss-Free With No Transaction Fees In China, Japan & Korea

Changi Pay by Changi Airport Group

Say you’re in the New Century Global Center in China or the Ginza Mitsukoshi in Tokyo. You’re about to pay for your shopping, but lo and behold, you no longer have any cash on hand. This is where Changi Pay will come in handy.

This nifty payment function lets you go cashless with your payments abroad, with no transaction fees. It also has competitive exchange rates so you don’t have to go on a wild goose chase for the best money changers in Singapore. Here’s everything you need to know about this new feature:

What is Changi Pay & where can it be used?

For all you shopaholics, Changi Pay has collaborated with Alipay+ to bring you a QR payment feature that can be used overseas. Many places accept Changi Pay, including China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. You can find the full list of countries on Changi Airport’s FAQ page.

Image adapted from: Changi Airport Group

Changi Pay works with any Alipay+ QR code – meaning, as long as the vendor you’re at has the option to pay via Alipay+, you can use Changi Pay too. And yes, tens of millions of merchants allow Alipay+, so you won’t have trouble finding a shop that accepts it, pinky promise.

What are the benefits of using Changi Pay?

We’ll drop some reasons why you should opt to use this new option. For starters, there are no transaction fees when you use this feature for your retail therapy. So when you’re looking at your receipts from shopping at Starfield COEX in Gangnam, there won’t be any sneaky charges.

Globetrotters will appreciate this next USP. You can score favourable exchange rates, and you can easily top up your funds with PayNow – something many of us are familiar with.

So if you have shortlisted a bunch of fun things to do in Tokyo during cherry blossom season or intend to visit China during the holidays, you’ll want to activate Changi Pay prior to your trip.

How do I set up Changi Pay?

The Changi App homepage.

First things first – you’ll need to download the Changi App, create an account, activate your Changi Pay digital wallet, and all that’s left is to register for a Liquid Account within Changi Pay. Remember to ensure that you have a working local phone number and Singpass for this process.

View all available vouchers via the app.

As we mentioned earlier, you can use PayNow to top up your digital wallet when making payments overseas. For those who are shopping in Changi Airport, you have the option to link your debit or credit card to the digital wallet. No need for any physical card or cash, easy peasy.

How to use Changi Pay in China & other countries?

To pay in China using Changi Pay, you have two simple options at checkout:

Merchant Scans Your QR Code

Inform the merchant you are paying with Alipay+ (or 支付宝/Zhi Fu Bao in China).
Go to the “Pay” page and select “Show my QR code” for the merchant to scan.

You Scan the Merchant’s QR Code

Go to the “Pay” page and use the built-in camera to scan the QR code displayed by the merchant.
Verify your payments by clicking ‘Pay’ and you’re all set!.

This payment method is also applicable in other countries where Alipay+ is accepted.

Note: All transactions will be shown in Singapore Dollars (SGD).

What are the transaction limits?

The top-up limits for a Liquid Account are as follows:

You can top up your Liquid Account up to S$5,000 at a time, and keep a max balance of S$5,000. Spending is capped at S$30,000 per year.
For payments in China via Alipay+, the limits are RMB35,000 per transaction and RMB350,000 yearly.

Satisfy your shopping needs with Changi Pay

Let’s be honest here, we’re all in need of a vacation ASAP. If you’re travelling to various countries around Asia like China and Korea, this fuss-free function is one you should take advantage of. You’ll get a fuss-free shopping experience, and e-Vouchers for even more shopping. We doubt your holiday can get any better than this.