Chinese outbound travel is rebounding strongly in 2025. Seat capacity from China to Canada has increased by about 165% year-on-year, making it much easier for Chinese visitors to reach Canada.
In 2025, nearly 470,000 Chinese tourists are estimated to visit Canada, spending a combined USD 1.6 billion—that’s 87% of pre-pandemic levels, with projections to surpass that in 2026.
Why the surge? Air seat capacity from China to Canada has seen an increase by 165% year-over-year, making travel easier than ever. During China’s 2025 May Day holiday alone, nearly 2.9 million travelers left the country—clear evidence of a sustained outbound travel boom.
More and more businesses, especially those with a focus on Chinese customers, are accepting Alipay.
While the exact number of Alipay users in Canada is unknown, it’s safe to say that a significant number of Chinese tourists and residents in Canada are using Alipay.
In This Article
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How does Alipay work?
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What is Alipay?
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Who uses Alipay?
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Benefits for Canadian Businesses
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Is It Worth it to Accept Alipay?
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Working with Alipay
How does Alipay work?
The Alipay wallet is a mobile digital wallet that stores funds, payment cards, and digital IDs, allowing users to pay via QR code, track spending, and access promotions.
Chinese tourists using Alipay in Canada are essentially using a preloaded wallet in CNY (RMB), which processes transactions via QR codes at participating Canadian merchants.
Here’s how it works:
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Wallet is funded in CNY from a Chinese bank account.
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When shopping in Canada, users:
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Scan the merchant’s QR code (via AlphaPay, SnapPay, etc.)
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Confirm the amount in CNY
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Authenticate using PIN or biometrics
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Currency conversion happens automatically.
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The user pays in RMB, the merchant receives CAD.
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Both get instant confirmation.
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Alipay facilitates real-time settlement and security checks.
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Essentially, users never need to carry foreign currency or credit cards. Their digital wallet bridges the gap between China’s RMB system and Canadian commerce.
What is Alipay?
Alipay is a mobile and online payment platform launched by Alibaba Group in 2004. It started as an escrow service for Taobao, Alibaba’s online marketplace, but quickly evolved into China’s most dominant digital wallet. Today, it serves over 1 billion users and is used for everything from in-store payments and online shopping to utility bills, wealth management, and even booking doctor’s appointments.
Alipay is the default payment method in China and a key tool for Chinese consumers when shopping abroad or online with foreign merchants. It’s part of the Ant Group, an affiliate company of Alibaba, and is integrated into the larger Alipay+ network, which connects global merchants to Asian consumers.
Currency & Settlement
Alphapay lets merchants bill in their local currency (e.g. CAD) while the customer sees prices in CNY. The funds are usually settled into the merchant’s local account, with cross-border transactions taking slightly longer than domestic payments.
Who Uses Alipay?
Alipay is used primarily by Chinese consumers who are traveling or live abroad. Alipay’s user base skews slightly older than WeChat Pay’s primarily due to having early adopters aged 25+, with disposable income and purchasing power.
Alipay is often the wallet of choice for larger purchases, online shopping, bill payments, and financial management. These are more aligned with users who have established income, families, or long-term financial planning needs.
WeChat Pay grew from within the WeChat messaging app, meaning its usage is heavily tied to peer-to-peer transfers, splitting bills, and red envelopes (hongbao). These use cases are especially popular among younger users, including teens and university students.
Benefits for Canadian Businesses
The real advantage for merchants is being discoverable by the right audience. For these users, Alipay is seen as familiar, fast, and readily integrated into their daily lives.
Accepting Alipay opens access to Chinese consumers and customers abroad without needing local licensing. Tools like Alipay+ help Canadian businesses connect via a single global channel across 90+ payment partners and 20+ providers.
Low to No Fraud Risk
Each transaction is authenticated with biometric or PIN verification. Funds are verified instantly. That means lower chargebacks and fewer disputes.
Built-in Marketing Tools
Alipay’s merchant platform lets you promote your business directly to Chinese users. You can publish offers, get featured in directories, and run geo-targeted campaigns.
Boost Store Traffic & Sales
Stores offering Alipay often see increased foot traffic from Chinese customers looking for familiar payment options—and are more likely to get repeat visits.
Alipay’s Ecosystem
Today, it serves over a billion users and 80 million merchants globally. In Canada, more than 800 merchants including West Edmonton Mall, Cadillac Fairview malls and major retailers accept Alipay, and and China Eastern and Air Canada even processes bookings via the app to accommodate Chinese travelers.
Comprehensive Digital-First Experience
More than a wallet, Alipay bundles utility payments, travel bookings, investment tools, facial-recognition features like “Smile to Pay,” and cross-border e-commerce capabilities
Businesses report higher ROI and repeat visits by leveraging Alipay’s built-in marketing ecosystem.
Is It Worth it to Accept Alipay?
Alipay remains the preferred payment method for Chinese tourists, international students, and expats. Businesses that accept Alipay—and use its built-in marketing tools—are seeing stronger ROI, more foot traffic, and higher rates of repeat visits. It’s not just a payment option; it’s a way to meet a valuable audience at the moment they’re ready to spend.
How Do I Set Up Alipay?
Alipay integrates seamlessly through AlphaPay, whether in-store or online. Merchants can accept payments via QR code, POS systems, or e-commerce checkouts.
For in-store purchases, AlphaPay supports both customer-present and staff-scanned options. For online, it works via plugins, payment links, or custom API. Either way, the experience is fast, secure, and tailored to how Chinese consumers already shop.
Quick Features
| Feature | AlphaPay + Alipay |
|---|---|
| Accepts Alipay in Canada | Fully supported, for both in-store and online transactions |
| Chinese bank/entity required | Not required |
| Language support | Bilingual interface with Mandarin and English support for receipts & staff |
| Segmented payouts (multiple accounts) | Available |
| Marketing tools & analytics | Access to Alipay’s promotions, user segmentation, and campaign management |
| POS integration (e.g. Clover, Moneris) | Full POS device support |
Final Takeaway
This resurgence in Chinese travel—and the return of high-spending, mobile-first visitors—marks a pivotal opportunity for Canadian businesses. With AlphaPay, accepting Alipay connects you to a global customer base through infrastructure built for trust, speed, and visibility.
Ready to welcome the next wave of global shoppers?
Explore what it means to accept Alipay with AlphaPay—or connect with our team to get started.
