Alibaba allows users to buy overseas traffic cards with yuan

E-Commerce giant Alibaba's online payment affiliate Alipay said it has teamed up with overseas public transportation service providers to allow travelers to pay in yuan for overseas traffic cards.

It's a further step for Alipay to tap the growing demand of overseas travel after it unveiled a tax rebate program in a dozen of European countries for Chinese tourists earlier this year.

Alipay users can now pay for public transportation cards via Alipay's smartphone application and show the electric vouchers to pick up the traffic cards at the airports of their destinations. Transportation cards for Singapore, Thailand, Macau and South Korea would be available for Alipay users.

Cross-border transaction has been a key business strategy for Alipay in recent years with the boom of overseas shopping as well as traveling demand.

Sabrina Peng, president of Alipay International, said it chose to launch the service on Alipay's smartphone application because travelers often bring with them smartphones to look for travel tips and search for routes.

Future expansion plans for the project may cover countries and regions such as Hong Kong and Japan, she added.

"The collaboration with Alipay can help us bridge the gap with Chinese consumers since Alipay is already a very familiar brand for them," said Jocelyn Ang, chief operating officer of NETS Singapore.

This year, the number of China's outbound travelers is expected to reach a record high of 115 million. Last year, that figure was 98.19 million, according to China Tourism Bureau.