In Hangzhou, good credit brings people deposit-free services

Residents with good credit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, will be able to avoid paying deposits for a number of services, including bicycle rentals, and hospital or hotel reservations.

The city launched its Credit Hangzhou app last month, making it easier for people to check their own credit records and search for services they can use deposit-free — if the credit score is high enough.

It also vowed to promote more daily use of the app to make credit ratings a “gold pass” in the city.

An official with the Hangzhou development and reform commission said the city will work with the travel, transportation and lodging sectors to enable those who study, work and travel in the city to avoid paying deposits.

The call also received a warm response from e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is headquartered in Hangzhou. Zhima Credit, its online credit scoring platform, has 7.28 million registered users in the city, with 3.69 million reaching the bench mark for deposit-free services.

That means one-third of Hangzhou residents can now enjoy deposit-free services in such things as bicycle-sharing and hotel accommodations, with 14.3 billion yuan ($2.21 billion) in deposits waived.

“We will continue to work toward popularizing more deposit-free services and applications,” said Min Rui,