Visa has introduced support for Apple Pay for holders of Chinese-issued Visa cards, allowing them to be added to Apple’s digital wallet for use outside mainland China.
The service enables payments at overseas merchants that accept Visa, including physical retail locations as well as in-app and online transactions. The initiative is being rolled out in cooperation with Apple and participating Chinese banks. Cardholders can add eligible Visa cards to Apple Pay on iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad, and use them wherever contactless payments are accepted abroad. According to Visa data, close to four-fifths of face-to-face transactions worldwide are now conducted using near-field communication (NFC) technology.
Focus on cross-border mobile payments and security
Visa officials said the move reflects growing demand among Chinese consumers for mobile payment tools that work across borders and integrate with smartphones. Representatives from Visa indicated that the company has been expanding its investment in payment security and data protection, including the wider use of tokenisation for international transactions. The collaboration with Apple and Chinese financial institutions is intended to extend these security features to overseas spending scenarios.
The initial group of issuing banks supporting the service includes Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of Communications, China Merchants Bank, China CITIC Bank, Ping An Bank and Industrial Bank. Visa and Apple are also working with additional lenders, such as Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Construction Bank, China Minsheng Bank and China Everbright Bank, with further launches planned.
From a user perspective, Apple Pay transactions require device-level authentication through Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode. Payment data sent to issuing banks is replaced with a single-use dynamic code, rather than the underlying card number. Visa’s tokenisation technology assigns a device-specific account number, which is encrypted and stored in the device’s secure element, rather than on Apple servers.
Chinese Visa cardholders can add their cards through the Apple Wallet app or directly via their bank’s mobile application. Existing card rewards remain unchanged, while some promotional incentives related to overseas travel and transport are being offered through Visa’s channels.
