Alibaba hotel unveils face recognition room entry
Chinese technology and retail group Alibaba has opened a hotel which uses the facial recognition biometric to secure guests’ rooms and the lifts... More
Tourism
Tourism Australia adds visitor card to Alipay
Tourism Australia, Alipay partner on new geotargeted Sydney City mobile app — CMO — “Chinese tourists will be able to access recommendations on what to see, where to shop and how to get around, all within an app they are familiar with and while being offered their preferred payment method… The Sydney City Card is built into the Alipay app, so no opt-in is required.”
Edinburgh Tattoo to accept WeChat Pay
Traditional annual Scottish tourism highlight The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is to get a very modern twist from 2018 with the addition of support for Chinese internet giant Tencent’s WeChat Pay mobile payments platform, enabling the growing number of visitors from China who attend the event to purchase tickets, merchandise and other services from their smartphones. More
Carnival Corporation to offer Alipay payment services onboard its fleet in Asia
Carnival Corporation to offer Alipay payment services onboard its fleet in Asia — Carnival Corporation — “Carnival Corporation’s first and largest brand in China – Costa Cruises – will give passengers the option to use their existing Alipay accounts as a payment method for cabin folios. All onboard spending – including shopping, activities, excursions, food and drinks – will be added to each guest’s cabin folio as the purchase is made.”
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto — Tourism Toronto — “Tourism Toronto announced today a new strategic partnership with OTT Financial Group that introduces the Chinese mobile payment service, WeChat Pay, into local tourism businesses to boost travel and shopping consumption by Chinese travellers.”
Alipay expands presence to North America
Chinese tourists in North America will soon be able to make in-store mobile payments at some 4m locations using Alipay, following a partnership between the mobile payment service and payment processor First Data... More
Tencent extends WeChat Pay to the US with focus on Chinese tourists
Tencent extends WeChat Pay to the US with focus on Chinese tourists — South China Morning Post — “WeChat Pay’s US launch is the company’s latest globalisation push as both Tencent and Alibaba seek to expand overseas amid their intensified mobile payment competition at home.”
Carnival unveils NFC and BLE wearable for cruise ship passengers
Holidaymakers aboard Carnival Corporation cruise ships will soon be given an NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wearable device, designed by the man behind Disney’s MagicBand, that will let them access a range of next generation services including boarding without checking in, unlocking rooms, accessing personalised entertainment, ordering food and making payments. More
Alipay comes to more Australian stores
Australian merchants using Quest Payment Systems payment terminals can integrate support for Alipay mobile payments following a software update... More
Alipay heads to Australia with Commonwealth Bank
Alipay has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Commonwealth Bank of Australia to enable in-store and online payments for Chinese tourists in Australia... More
Japanese government to trial biometrics
The government of Japan is to begin piloting a biometric authentication-based payments service next month that will enable travelers to make purchases using their fingerprint... More
Worldline to support Alipay in Germany
Payment processor Worldline is adding support for Alipay mobile payments in Germany... More
Retailers reward in-app Apple Pay purchases
US retailers are offering discounts on in-app purchases made through Apple Pay until September as part of a recently launched iOS App Store promotion... More
Starwood expands keyless entry to hotels worldwide
The Bluetooth-based mobile keyless entry solution unveiled by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in November 2014 has been extended to select Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton and Four Points hotels, with “many additional properties” expected to go live with SPG Keyless over the coming months... More
Ant Financial takes Alipay to Germany with Concardis
Chinese tourists will soon be able to make payments at 210,000 store locations in Germany serviced by payment provider Concardis using Ant Financial’s Alipay mobile payment platform. The move marks the service’s launch into Europe after the company unveiled its expansion plans at Money20/20 Europe in April 2016. More
Barclaycard sees surge in ‘silver spenders’ using contactless
The number of UK consumers aged over 60 using contactless payments has risen by 116% in the last 12 months, research from Barclaycard reveals... More
Baidu Wallet launches in Thailand
China’s Baidu has launched its Baidu Wallet mobile payment service in Thailand, enabling Chinese tourists to pay for goods and services there with their mobile phone... More
Orix to push Alipay in Japan
Financial services provider Orix is to promote Ant Financial’s Alipay mobile payment platform in Japan and encourage more stores to accept the service... More
Tourists in Japan to get fingerprint payments by 2020
The Government of Japan is to pilot a system that would let tourists verify their identity and make in-store payments using their fingerprint... More
Sensoro creates network of 110,000 Bluetooth beacons in China
Bluetooth beacon provider Sensoro has linked together the 110,000 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons it has deployed across China to create a single platform that marketers can use to send highly targeted offers to shoppers... More
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