Alipay Integrates with Apple NFC Transit Cards: iPhone Users Can Now Tap and Ride Without Pre-Charging
Alipay has announced a major upgrade to Apple Wallet's NFC transit card functionality, allowing iPhone users in multiple cities across China to seamlessly integrate with the Alipay payment system. The upgrade covers cities including Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, and more, and eligible iPhone users will receive system notifications to upgrade their existing cards.
After the upgrade, users no longer need to manually pre-fund their cards, and can use Alipay’s pay-as-you-go or pay-later options, eliminating the embarrassment of insufficient balance.
In Shenzhen, iPhone users can directly open a new NFC transit card within Apple Wallet through Alipay, enabling convenient tap-and-go access even with the screen locked.
To encourage users to upgrade or open new cards, Alipay is offering benefits: users who upgrade or open an NFC transit card in Apple Wallet will receive a 3 yuan discount coupon for transportation expenses.
This integration of Apple Wallet and Alipay is a key upgrade to the iPhone’s transportation experience in China, retaining Apple’s native advantages of tap-and-go functionality and low-battery usability, while aligning with the common payment habits of domestic users and significantly lowering the barriers to card activation and use.
The company stated that it will continue to expand coverage to more cities, allowing more iPhone users to enjoy convenient travel services.