This New 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?

This one’s for all you shopaholics. Changi Pay has collaborated with Alipay+ to bring you a new QR payment feature that can be used overseas. Which countries, you may ask? Many places accept this payment method, 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

Think of it as a new payment option. 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+. You won’t have trouble finding a shop that accepts it, pinky promise.

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.

Here’s another motivation to use this swanky payment method. From now till 31st March 2025, Changi Pay users can snag S$50 e-Vouchers to use at Changi Airport terminals, Jewel Changi Airport shops that accept Changi Pay, and iShopChangi.

Go ahead and stock up on your beauty essentials, favourite snacks, and beloved booze. To get these e-Vouchers, simply accumulate S$500 worth of overseas expenditure with Changi Pay.

So if you have shortlisted a bunch of fun things to do in Tokyo during cherry blossom season or intend to visit China during winter, you’ll want to activate this handy function 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, and activate your Changi Pay digital wallet. We’re almost done. All that’s left is to register for a Liquid Account within the app. 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.

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.