Alipay recorded a 30% year-on-year increase in outbound transactions across its 90 million Alipay+ global merchant network during the 2025 Chinese New Year.
The top destinations for Chinese travellers were Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and South Korea, with Singapore seeing a 56% Y0Y rise in total Alipay spending.
Spending in Europe grew by 30%, with emerging destinations such as Switzerland, Austria, and Turkey experiencing notable transaction increases.
Additionally, Alipay Chinese New Year travel spending on overseas transport saw a 139% surge, while spending on cosmetic surgery abroad skyrocketed by 449% YoY.
Food-related transactions also increased significantly, with spending on meals up 33%, snacks up 36%, and desserts rising 54%.
The number of inbound travellers using 13 home e-wallets supported by Alipay+ nearly doubled at 94% YoY, with AlipayHK users leading, followed by Malaysia’s Touch ’n Go eWallet, Macao SAR’s MPay, Kazakhstan’s Kaspi.kz, and Thailand’s TrueMoney.
To further enhance the cross-border payment experience, Alipay expanded its partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, Diners Club International®, and UnionPay International, enabling international travellers to link their global credit and debit cards to Alipay e-wallets for seamless payments, including hotel bookings and plane and train ticket purchases in China.
Additionally, Alipay’s Fortune Cards Campaign attracted 600 million participants in 2025, bringing its cumulative total to one billion users since its launch in 2016. Between January 28th and February 1st, spending via Alipay at merchants across mainland China increased 150% year-on-year while spending from visa-free origin travellers there also increased by 200% YoY.
With Chinese New Year travel spending reaching new highs, Alipay continues to play a crucial role in cross-border payment, leveraging technologies like Alipay Tap! to empower both outbound Chinese travellers and international visitors to China with seamless digital payment options.
Source of image: Edited from Freepik
