Payment services for overseas visitors in Shenzhen have undergone remarkable improvements, allowing them to make seamless payments using various methods such as overseas bank cards, QR codes, cash, and e-CNY hard wallets. These advancements were unveiled during a press conference held at the People's Bank of China (PBOC) Shenzhen Central Sub-branch on Friday.
Statistics from the PBOC Shenzhen Central Sub-branch reveal that as of April 15, a staggering 3,756 ATMs, accounting for 83.56% of Shenzhen's total, now provide RMB cash withdrawal services for holders of overseas bank cards.
Additionally, the PBOC Shenzhen Central Sub-branch, in partnership with the city's commerce, tourism, and transportation authorities, has overseen the installation of 6,000 new POS machines to facilitate overseas bank card payments at small and medium-sized merchants. This initiative has increased the number of such machines in Shenzhen to 45,000, with 19 acquirers guided to either add or upgrade their POS machines for merchants, significantly elevating the acceptance rate of overseas bank cards at these outlets from 29% to 90%. At the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, the rate is nearly 100%.
Regarding QR code payments, overseas visitors can now directly use their home-country e-wallets for payments or easily link their bank cards with Chinese payment apps. By using these apps, overseas visitors no longer need to provide identity information for transactions below a specified amount, and the mobile payment limit has been raised to US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 per year.