Chinese mobile payment app gains popularity in Turkey amid pandemic

ISTANBUL — WeChat Pay, a Chinese online payment app, is gaining popularity in Turkey as it offers contact-free service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

People learnt the importance of social distancing and going as contactless as possible during the pandemic, so as to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus.

“Last year, when the pandemic first broke out in the country, we used to make our payments by putting cash in plastic bags so as not to touch it over contamination concerns,” said Nurcan Ozel, a resident in the northwestern province of Kirklareli.

“I even had neighbors who used to wash the bank note,” Ozel said.

Even though this exaggerated hygiene passion in the first days has gone, people still prefer contactless debit or credit cards in their transactions.

WeChat Pay, which allows consumers to complete their transactions online, started to be used at the Istanbul Airport a year ago within the framework of an agreement with the Turkish subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

“The project aims to provide convenience to passengers by diversifying payment systems and enabling all WeChat Pay users visiting Turkey, especially Chinese tourists, to use the method they are already familiar with,” the Istanbul Airport management said in a written interview with Xinhua.

There are 40 point-of-sale (POS) terminal devices for WeChat Pay installed at the Istanbul Airport, which have a 90-million passenger capacity.

According to the airport management, WeChat Pay users can easily pay for their purchases by scanning the QR code on their smartphones, and the use of this payment system is increasing every month.

The officials expect that after the pandemic, the frequency of using WeChat Pay could grow even further, especially when Chinese tourists start coming to the country again.

Canan Ozkan, an airport employee who assists passengers in the terminal, said that WeChat Pay has significantly altered people’s shopping habits, making the experience a lot easier.

“Many people are now used to making their payments with WeChat Pay,” Ozkan said. “They no longer use credit cards.”

The ICBC Turkey said on its website that the WeChat Pay project has been developed into an alternative to the present payment system, offering a fast and easy payment choice for the users.

It added that the application would spread all over Turkey in the upcoming period.

This method is one of China’s most-used mobile payment systems. As of June 2018, WeChat Pay had more than 800 million active user accounts, according to its official website. It also offers services in around 60 countries, according to data released by the company in 2019.

Ozel said she also would like to use this application “if it is that simple”.

“If I am going to make my payments remotely from my phone without having to deal with cards or cash, I will immediately download the application and use it,” she said.