Dubai Duty Free leverages Alipay+ solutions to streamline checkout experience

By Delisha Fernandes

Dubai Duty Free has announced its partnership with Alipay+  to offer a seamless travel and checkout experience for international visitors.

Consumers from South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Mongolia, Italy as well as Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao are now able to access promotions and pay with their home digital apps at duty-free stores at Dubai and Al Maktoum International airports.

Through simple integration, Alipay+ e-wallet and bank partners that are accepted across the UAE include Alipay, AlipayHK, MPay (Macao SAR, China), GCash from the Philippines, Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay from South Korea, OCBC from Singapore, TrueMoney from Thailand, Hipay from Mongolia and Tinaba from Italy.

Guoming Cheng, general manager of Ant Group in Europe and Middle East, said, “We are thrilled to launch Alipay+ cross-border payment technology and marketing solutions at fast-growing global retailers like Dubai Duty Free to support convenient digital payment options so that international passengers can enjoy a seamless experience just the same way they do at home. From Dubai taxis to Dubai Duty Free and more tourism facilities, we are looking forward to upgrading the checkout experience across the region and support the growth of smart travel.”

In Dubai, the vast majority of international tourists are now able to pay for their taxi fares, and shop cashless at big malls in downtown and at airports with their home e-wallets and banking apps, in home currencies. Upon scanning the QR code at merchants’ end or pulling out their individual QR code to be scanned, the purchase would be completed within seconds, with transaction details displayed at their home digital app in real time.

Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin, said, “At Dubai Duty Free, we strive to provide a convenient and excellent shopping experience for our customers. We are therefore very excited about this partnership with Alipay+ to provide a seamless travel and checkout experience for them. For key travelers from Asia and Europe, it is of great advantage to be able to use their choice of payment, which they already use at home, without any exchange of cash.”