All 14,500 7-Eleven stores in Thailand now accept digital payments from more tourists via 13 payment apps through Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payments and marketing platform operated by Ant International.
The expansion further enhances the payment firm’s digitalization efforts to meet the needs of tourists ahead of the peak Lunar New Year travel season. The integration is enabled by Thai payments system Counter Service, which connects Alipay+ to 7-Eleven stores.
Alipay+ has recently enabled nine more international e-wallets in Thailand, which can be used at 7-Eleven. The new e-wallets are: MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), GCash (Philippines), Hipay (Mongolia), MPay (Macao SAR), and Tinaba (Italy).
Alipay (mainland China) has been accepted in Thailand since 2015. AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Kakao Pay (South Korea) and Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia) have been accepted since 2023.
The Lunar New Year, which begins on February 10, is expected to attract a million foreign tourists to Thailand this year, generating 28.4 billion baht (US$800 million) for the local economy, with the highest arrivals expected to be tourists from mainland China and Hong Kong, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Weeradej Ackapolpanich, managing director at Counter Service Company Limited, says his firm has strengthened and increased digital payment channels for 7-Eleven stores nationwide, while providing daily conveniences, including financial service, insurance, sports and concert tickets, travel and tourism, etc.
“With a significant rise of travel demand, we aim to accommodate, connect, and cater to tourists from all over the world with cashless trend and convenience services,” Weeradej adds.
Connecting more merchants
Operating across 57 markets, Alipay+ now connects over 88 million global merchants cross-border to 1.5 billion accounts on over 25 leading e-wallets and payment apps.
Alipay+ continues to scale its merchant coverage in Thailand, which already includes leading retail, lifestyle and tourism spots such as all malls under Central Retail Corporation and The Mall Group, and local brands like King Power and Jim Thompson.
“Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations globally and we’re excited to do more to support the digitalization of the vibrant tourism sector locally,” says Sittipong Kittiprapapong, general manager of global merchant partnership, Thailand, at Ant International.
“By working closely with local merchants and partners like the Tourism Authority of Thailand, we’re attracting more Chinese and Asian tourists to Thailand, creating a more convenient and worry-free experience for travellers, and helping more businesses benefit from tourism growth.”
In anticipation of the increase in visitors, 7-Eleven Thailand and Alipay+ have jointly launched an exclusive promotion for Alipay+ partner users, with coupons of up to 50% savings.
