Chinese conglomerate Tencent has launched a payment app designed to help tourists visiting China adapt to the country’s largely cashless ecosystem.

The app, TenPayGo, allows visitors to the country to pay for shopping, dining and travel without the need for cash by linking their Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay to the app. TenPayGo is linked to WeChatPay (Weixin Pay), Tencent’s domestic mobile payments service.

WeChatPay is built into WeChat, or Weixin as it is known on mainland China, Tencent’s super-app that incorporates payments, instant messaging and social media, boasting over 1.4 billion users.

TenPayGo is aiming to capture market share for the growing number of international tourists visiting the country, and will compete directly with fellow Chinese software giant Ant Group’s AliPay, which serves domestic and international users in China.

Record numbers of international tourists have visited China this year following its expansion of visa-free travel to countries including the UK, France and Canda. Official statistics suggest that 22.9 million foreign nationals visited in the first half of 2026, up 20 per cent year-on-year.

Data from WeChatPay indicates that foreign spending in the country is also rising. The value of overseas e-wallet transactions in the country rose by 80.6 per cent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2026, while the volume rose 81.8 per cent.

On its Google Play store page, TenPayGo says that the app will also out more local transportation and lifestyle services “gradually”. Xinhua, China’s state-owned news agency and largest media outlet, reported that it currently allows travellers to activate a ride code for Shenzhen’s metro and bus system.

Going forward, the company said at its launch event in Shenzhen, Guangdong, it intends to add services including departure tax refunds and AI-powered translation of menus.

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