Alipay+, Ant International’s global wallet gateway, has experienced an 18% year-over-year increase in QR code payment transactions in South Korea from January to November 2025, with total payment volume (TPV) rising 16%. This growth reflects the rising popularity of digital payments among international tourists, who are leveraging Alipay+ partner wallets and bank apps for seamless transactions across diverse services, from airport transfers and beauty treatments to street food vendors.
South Korea’s appeal as a top destination for travelers from Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland has fueled Alipay+’s expansion, with the highest transaction volumes in Seoul, Jeju Island, and Busan. Beyond Chinese mainland visitors, significant growth came from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Macao, and the Philippines, where transaction counts and TPV surged rapidly.
Alipay+ now links 21 international digital wallets and bank apps to over 2 million South Korean merchants, enabling tourists to pay using familiar home apps. In September 2025, the addition of Japan’s PayPay extended this convenience to Japanese travelers at any merchant displaying the Alipay+ logo.
This infrastructure empowers small and medium-sized enterprises, which dominate the merchant network, to access global spenders effortlessly—from airport limousine buses at Incheon to cosmetics shopping and café visits at chains like Mega Coffee.
Alipay+ transactions in high-demand sectors highlighted tourism trends: transportation saw a 120% transaction increase and 23% TPV growth, beauty clinics jumped 90% in transactions with 123% TPV rise, and F&B expanded 47% in transactions alongside 54% TPV growth.
Merchants benefit from tools like A+ Rewards, a privacy-preserving AI-driven platform for targeted promotions, and Alipay+ Voyager—an integrated AI travel agent in partner wallets like Alipay and GCash. Voyager aids itinerary planning, bookings, and in-merchant purchases, helping businesses engage mobile-savvy global consumers directly.
“Alipay+ is committed to driving sustainable travel, by empowering local businesses while enhancing travellers’ experiences, helping them to travel to more places and ensuring that they can pay easily with their home wallets abroad,” said Weixiao Jiang, General Manager North Asia and North America, Alipay+. “Our AI-driven solutions ensure that merchants, big or small, can expand their business by tapping on international tourists to expand their customer base.”
Partnerships further extend reach: collaborations with bus and taxi networks cover over 70,000 Seoul taxis, 100+ Incheon airport buses, 1,200 Jeju buses, and 15,000 Daegu eZL taxis. Chinese tourists access Korail tickets, NAMANE x Alipay+ passes, and bookings at 1,500+ K-beauty clinics via Alipay mini-programs.
For South Korean outbound travel, Alipay+ enables Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, and Toss Pay in over 100 markets, with NFC support at 150 million Mastercard merchants.
As Ant International’s global gateway, Alipay+ connects 40 payment partners with 1.8 billion users to 150 million merchants in 100+ markets, partnering with 11 national networks to foster cross-border efficiency.
Alipay+’s ties with i-Aurora enable QR payments at Myeongdong Night Market vendors via NAMANE codes, plus a dedicated Alipay transportation card for subways and buses. The duo’s MOU for STAN integrates K-POP events, exhibitions, and merchandise into a unified online-offline platform.
Shinsegae Group integration allows Alipay+ payments in department and duty-free stores, bolstered by promotions that draw international shoppers.
“Our partnership with Alipay+ helps to connect street vendors and local merchants to global travellers in South Korea by enabling them to accept QR code payments, be it at tourist attractions or traditional markets,” said Youngsu Chang, CEO of i-Aurora.
“Through our collaboration with Alipay+, we have been able to expand our international customer base and provide them with Shinsegae’s exclusive benefits as well as a convenient shopping and payment experience that helps solidify Shinsegae’s position as a leading duty-free and retail brand,” said Jongwoo Kwak, Senior Vice President of the Marketing Division at Shinsegae Duty Free.
These initiatives position Alipay+ as a catalyst for sustainable tourism, blending local empowerment with traveler convenience in South Korea’s booming digital payment ecosystem.
About Alipay+
Ant International's Alipay+ is a global wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payments a broad choice of deals and the convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app/e-wallet while travelling abroad. Many small and medium-sized businesses already use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
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