Japanese mobile money transfer and payment service LINE Pay has announced the integration of Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app WeChat Pay to its offerings.
Since August 9, merchants have been able to integrate WeChat Pay meaning users of the Chinese app can scan a Japanese LINE Pay merchant’s QR code to pay with their WeChat Pay balance.
The partnership acts as a one-way payment partnership; WeChat Pay users traveling to Japan can utilise the cross-compatibility however LINE Pay will not accepted at WeChat Pay payment locations in China.
The firm made clear that user data is contained within the service used to make a purchase and never shared between the platforms.
The announcement followed: “[it] hopes to boost mobile payments for LINE Pay merchants in Japan by reinforcing support for international tourists while continuing to carry out promotional activities to increase LINE Pay use among users in Japan.”
WeChat is a social media platform with over 1.118 billion featuring a range of services accessible from within the app including WeChat Pay.
The payment service’s latest integration enables users to pay at LINE Pay-affiliated stores in Japan with their WeChat Pay balance by scanning the companies QR code at POS terminals.
The move is expected to enhance convenience for Chinese tourists as it allows WeChat users to use their accustomed payment service.
Furthermore merchants can combine and manage payments made via APMs into a single account.
Merchants will not be charged any fees for accepting WeChat Pay payments until July 31, 2021.
