US stores adopt Alipay, WePay apps to attract Chinese tourists
US retailers are cashing in on the opportunity to offer Chinese tourists the ability to pay using Alipay and WeChat Pay apps, which were rolled out across North America earlier this year. Stores such as New York's VR World and food outlet Mr Bing have reported an increase in footfall since adopting the Chinese payment apps, which control more than 92% of their domestic market. 

NEW YORK -- In China, Zhang Youtian does not carry cash or credit cards. Instead, he pays for everything using the Alipay and WeChat Pay apps on his smartphone. When he heard that merchants in New York, where he has lived for seven years, were adopting those forms of payment, the recent college graduate was excited.

"If I saw that they had it in a store, I'd definitely try it," Zhang said. "It's convenient. You don't have to sign. Just scan and finish the transaction."