Is Alipay Safe and How Can Foreigners Use Alipay?

Mobile payment is a very popular payment method in China, almost replacing cash.

The most popular of these are Alipay and WeChat Pay. Alipay is also an online payment method supported by 1688.

So in this article, we will introduce you to Alipay, an online payment method in detail.

Is it safe and how to use it?

Is Alipay safe and legit?

Yes, Alipay is safe and legit, and it has a comprehensive and secure service.

Generally speaking, mobile payment is more secure than using a credit or debit card. Because what the merchant receives is not your actual card details, but encrypted information.

Alipay is an e-wallet application created by Alibaba in 2004. It is the most widely used payment method in China. In China, whether you shop online or in a physical store, you will use Alipay. It is similar to PayPal and Apple Pay.

Alipay is owned by the well-known Alibaba Group, which is one of China’s largest multinational technology companies, which conducts business in multiple business areas such as the Internet, e-commerce, and retail.

Alibaba has a market value of more than 800 billion U.S. dollars, and it owns many super e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Alibaba, 1688 and Taobao.

According to Wikipedia, Alibaba has the sixth highest brand valuation in the world, and the online sales and profits of its e-commerce platform have exceeded the sum of all US retailers including Amazon, Walmart and eBay.

Considering Alibaba’s capital level, it can be said that Alibaba’s ability to resist risks is beyond imagination.

How to use Alipay?

Step 1: Download Alipay from the App Store or Google Play and register with your phone number

Alipay is currently available in 70 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland.

Register with a valid mobile phone number. Alipay will send a text message with a confirmation code to this number, and you must enter the number. After successful registration. Next, you need to add a bank card.

Of course, you can also register on the Alipay official website instead of downloading the app. You can also use email to verify the registration when registering.

Step 2: Real-name verification

After successful registration, enter Alipay, the system will prompt you to perform real-name authentication, click “Authenticate Now” to enter the verification page.

Select nationality under the button, fill in name, ID number, upload photo and date, and enter address and phone number. Then submit and wait for the review to complete.

Step 3: Enter Your Bank Card Info

Here is where you enter your Chinese bank card number. You can add foreign debit and credit cards here too, but to add funds into your Alipay balance you’ll need to add the Chinese one first. Hit next, and Alipay will display the name of your bank beside “Card Type”. Fill in your name and other information.

After doing so, Alipay will be linked with your card. And then, you can use Alipay to pay someone.

Step 4: How to use Alipay to pay bills?

There are usually 3 situations when using Alipay to pay.

① Online payment

Using online payment is as simple as choosing Alipay as the preferred payment method on the checkout page.

This of course means that online merchants accept Alipay, so you should check before making a transaction.

② In-store payment

Alipay also allows you to use your mobile phone to pay in-store. Payment is very simple, there are two methods.

• Show your payment code to the merchant, and then the merchant uses the machine to scan your QR code to complete the payment.

• You can also use your Alipay code scanning function to scan the merchant’s payment QR code, enter the product amount and payment password to complete the payment.

③ Enter Alipay ID for transfer.

Just as you need to enter the payee’s account number when making a bank transfer, you can also enter the payee’s Alipay ID on Alipay to transfer money.

How to avoid Alipay fraud?

Although Alipay’s internal security system is unbreakable through any channel, there are some external physical risks that users should pay attention to.

When transferring money by scanning the QR code, be sure to scan the correct QR code.

Although QR codes are very convenient and easy to use, they are also very fragile and easily stolen.

Generally speaking, there are two types of QR codes-payment codes used to pay suppliers and collection codes used to collect payments from buyers.

These codes can be easily generated, copied or replaced.

Therefore, for security reasons, we recommend that you keep the following tips in mind when using QR codes to avoid being deceived:

• When paying by scanning the code, make sure that no one else can easily scan you when you are about to show the payment code.
• Check carefully whether there are any signs of replacement of the payment QR code posted in public places.

For online payment, Alipay is absolutely safe.

When transferring funds via Alipay ID, confirm the account number with the payee before payment. Otherwise, you may pay to the wrong person.

As long as you pay attention to the above issues, Alipay is safe enough for everyone.

Wechat pay and Alipay

The difference between Alipay and WeChatpay is the same as PayPal and Apple Pay.

They can all make payments, and WeChat pays more attention to social payments, such as friend transfers. Alipay is mainly used for online shopping.

WeChat Pay and Alipay can be used for almost anything in China.

Whether it’s shopping for food, taking a taxi, recharging electricity bills, buying air tickets, or sending money to friends, these mobile payment apps can satisfy you.

What is the difference between PayPal and Alipay?

Both Alipay and Paypal require buyer and seller (user) accounts and both require the internet to conduct transactions. Both allow peer to peer transactions and both charge fees for transactions.

A key difference is Paypal also charges for foreign (cross border) FX exchange fees whereas Alipay only charges a transaction fee. Another key difference is Paypal assists the wire of funds between users’-bank accounts, but Alipay qualifies and then moves funds between buyer-and-merchant-Alipay accounts.

Alipay also has many other functions including loans and touch pay at kiosks and shops in China and Hong Kong.

Their adoption and user rate in China is also markedly different. Because it is a foreign system PayPal is “not well known” and has very small user rate in China.