(Yicai) May 24 -- Shanghai has introduced the Shanghai City Pass which overseas tourists can use to pay for public transport and buy things at convenience stores and scenic spots as part of the country’s ongoing efforts to make it more convenient for foreigners to make payment, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

The municipality had sold 800 passes, which can be loaded with up to CNY1,000 (USD138) each, since the launch five days ago and up until yesterday, said Sun Yao, general manager at Shanghai City Tour Card. However, the cards cannot be used to withdraw cash, are not tied to the users’ identity and cannot be reported if lost.

Shanghai will add 80,000 automatic sales dispensers for the City Pass this year in all the metropolis’ core business districts, airports, metro and bus stations, three-star and above hotels as well as major scenic spots.

The pass can also be used on public transportation in more than 330 cities, including Beijing, Xi’an in central Shaanxi province and Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the report said.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport has set up inquiry desks in prominent locations along the inbound traveler route. Staff members can help them activate the electronic payment function.

Beijing will expand the acceptance of overseas bank cards and set up additional payment options in three-star and above hotels as well as 3A and higher tourist attractions before the end of June.

The average number of daily transactions by users coming from abroad more than quadrupled in March from before foreign card services were upgraded in July last year, digital wallet WeChat Pay said.

During the Labor Day holiday earlier this month, Alipay payments tied to international bank cards surged eight-fold from a year earlier, and the number of Chinese shop vendors using Alipay to do business with international tourists soared five-and-a-half-fold, the country’s biggest mobile payment service said.

Payment applications should be available in more foreign languages, the efficiency of instant settlements must be improved, payment ceilings need to be raised by enhancing the cross-border flow of data, and the protection of personal online data should be strengthened in order to make it easier for foreigners to make payments in China, industry insiders said.

Editor: Kim Taylor