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Asia-Pacific Payment Methods

China has virtually no credit cards. 90%+ of transactions use Alipay or WeChat Pay. Southeast Asia prefers e-wallets (GrabPay, Touch 'n Go). If you're selling to APAC and only accepting cards, conversion rates will be 20-40% of potential.

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When to Add APAC Payment Methods​

Add APAC methods when:

  • 10%+ of customers from China or Southeast Asia
  • You're seeing high cart abandonment from APAC countries
  • You're using Stripe, Adyen, or regional processors
  • You've localized pricing and shipping for APAC

Skip APAC methods when:

  • Under 5% APAC customers
  • You're on Square or US-only processor
  • China/APAC isn't a strategic market
  • Compliance costs outweigh potential revenue

Processor Support for APAC Methods​

MethodStripeShopify PaymentsSquareAdyenAirwallex
Alipay✅✅❌✅✅
WeChat Pay✅✅❌✅✅
GrabPay✅✅❌✅✅
PayNow (Singapore)✅✅❌✅✅
FPX (Malaysia)✅✅❌✅✅
Konbini (Japan)✅✅❌✅✅

Bottom line: Stripe/Shopify support major APAC methods. Square doesn't.

Alipay (China)​

What It Is​

Alipay is China's dominant mobile payment app:

  • 1 billion+ users
  • QR code payments
  • Integrated with Alibaba ecosystem
  • Works with Chinese bank accounts and wallets

Market share in China: 50-55% of mobile payments.

Why It Matters​

China payment preferences:

  • Alipay: 50-55%
  • WeChat Pay: 40-45%
  • Cards: 3-5%

Without Alipay + WeChat Pay, you can't sell to China.

Implementation (Stripe)​

Effort: 8-16 hours

Steps:

  1. Enable Alipay in Stripe dashboard
  2. Add Alipay to checkout
  3. Customer scans QR code with Alipay app
  4. Payment processed in CNY (converted to USD for you)
  5. Settlement in 3-5 days

Stripe fee: 3.1% + $0.30

Pricing Comparison​

$100 USD transaction (≈¥700 CNY):

  • Alipay: $3.40 (3.4% effective)
  • Card: $3.20 (3.2% effective)
  • Alipay is slightly more expensive

But: Card abandonment in China is 80%+. Paying 0.2% extra to capture the sale is worth it.

Gotchas​

  1. QR code expiration: Alipay QR codes expire in 5-15 minutes. Build refresh logic.
  2. CNY conversion: Transactions are in CNY, settled to you in USD. FX spread applies.
  3. China compliance: Requires Chinese business entity for some use cases. Check with Stripe.
  4. Settlement delay: T+3-5 (longer than cards).
  5. Refunds complex: Alipay refunds go to Alipay wallet, different flow than cards.

WeChat Pay (China)​

What It Is​

WeChat Pay is Tencent's mobile payment system:

  • 900 million+ users
  • Integrated with WeChat (China's dominant messaging app)
  • QR code payments
  • Social commerce integration

Market share in China: 40-45% of mobile payments.

Why It Matters​

You need BOTH Alipay and WeChat Pay for China:

  • Some users only have Alipay
  • Some users only have WeChat Pay
  • Offering both covers 95%+ of Chinese consumers

Implementation (Stripe)​

Effort: 8-16 hours (similar to Alipay)

Steps:

  1. Enable WeChat Pay in Stripe
  2. Add to checkout
  3. Generate QR code
  4. Customer scans with WeChat app
  5. Settlement in 3-5 days

Stripe fee: 3.1% + $0.30 (same as Alipay)

Gotchas​

  1. Same as Alipay: QR expiration, CNY conversion, settlement delays
  2. WeChat ecosystem: WeChat users expect in-app experience. QR-based checkout is clunky.
  3. Regulatory complexity: China has strict payment regulations. Consult legal for large volumes.

GrabPay (Southeast Asia)​

What It Is​

GrabPay is Southeast Asia's super-app wallet:

  • Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam
  • Ride-hailing app turned payment platform
  • 200M+ users across SEA

Market share: 20-40% in SEA countries (varies by country).

Why It Matters​

Southeast Asia prefers e-wallets over cards:

  • E-wallets: 40-60%
  • Cards: 30-40%
  • Bank transfers: 10-20%

GrabPay is one of the top wallets in SEA.

Implementation (Stripe)​

Effort: 4-8 hours

Steps:

  1. Enable GrabPay in Stripe
  2. Add to checkout
  3. Customer authorizes via Grab app
  4. Settlement in 3-5 days

Stripe fee: Varies by country (typically 3.2-3.8%)

Gotchas​

  1. Multi-country: GrabPay works across SEA but rates vary by country.
  2. Mobile-first: Works best in mobile checkout. Desktop is clunky.
  3. Settlement delays: T+5-7 in some SEA countries.

Konbini (Japan)​

What It Is​

Konbini is cash payment at Japanese convenience stores:

  • Customer gets voucher
  • Pays cash at 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart
  • Common in Japan (20-30% of online transactions)

Used by: Japanese customers without cards or who prefer cash.

Implementation (Stripe)​

Effort: 4-8 hours

Stripe fee: ¥190 flat fee per transaction

Gotchas​

  1. Cash-only: Same refund complexity as Boleto/OXXO
  2. Payment delay: 1-3 days for customer to pay
  3. High non-payment: 20-30% never complete payment

Implementation Priority for APAC​

If you have APAC customers, add in this order:

Tier 1: China (Must-Have)​

If 10%+ sales from China:

  1. Alipay - 50-55% market share
  2. WeChat Pay - 40-45% market share

Implementation: 1-2 days for both

Tier 2: Southeast Asia (Should-Have)​

If 10%+ sales from SEA:

  1. GrabPay - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia
  2. FPX - Malaysia online banking
  3. PayNow - Singapore instant payments

Implementation: 2-4 days total

Tier 3: Japan (Nice-to-Have)​

If 5%+ sales from Japan:

  1. Konbini - Convenience store payments

Implementation: 1 day

Test to Run​

APAC payment method ROI calculator:

Week 1: Customer geography

  1. Calculate % of revenue from:
    • China: ____%
    • Southeast Asia: ____%
    • Japan: ____%
    • Australia (cards work fine): ____%

Week 2: Method impact estimate 2. China revenue × 80% (Alipay/WeChat adoption) × 50% (conversion lift) = potential revenue 3. SEA revenue × 40% (e-wallet adoption) × 30% (conversion lift) = potential revenue

Week 3: Implementation decision 4. Total potential monthly lift: $_____ 5. Implementation effort: 16-24 hours 6. If lift > $5K/month, implement 7. Start with China methods if China is largest APAC market

Success criteria: If China is 10%+ of revenue, adding Alipay + WeChat Pay is worth it.

Scale Callouts​

Under $50K/month, under 10% APAC:

  • Skip APAC methods
  • International cards work
  • Focus on US/EU first

$50K-$250K/month, 10-20% APAC:

  • Add Alipay + WeChat for China customers
  • Skip SEA methods unless SEA is 10%+
  • Monitor adoption rates

$250K-$1M/month, 20%+ APAC:

  • Full China methods (Alipay + WeChat)
  • Add GrabPay for SEA
  • Consider local pricing in CNY

Over $1M/month, 30%+ APAC:

  • Consider Adyen or Airwallex for local acquiring
  • Full APAC method suite
  • Optimize routing by country

Where This Breaks​

  1. China compliance is complex: Large-scale China sales may require Chinese business entity, ICP license, and local banking. Consult legal.

  2. Currency conversion costs: Alipay/WeChat transactions are in CNY. FX spread is 1-2% on top of processing fees.

  3. QR code UX on desktop is terrible: Mobile-first markets expect mobile checkout. Desktop QR codes feel clunky.

  4. Settlement delays are long: T+5-7 for some APAC methods. Cash flow impact.

  5. Refunds are complicated: Each method has different refund flows. Some can't refund at all (Konbini, cash methods).

Next Steps​

Selling to China?

  1. Enable Alipay + WeChat Pay in Stripe
  2. Test with Stripe test accounts
  3. Consider local currency pricing (CNY)

Selling to Southeast Asia?

  1. Enable GrabPay for Singapore/Malaysia
  2. Add FPX for Malaysia
  3. Monitor adoption by country

High-volume APAC?

  1. Consider Adyen for local acquiring
  2. Add country-specific methods
  3. Implement smart payment method routing

See Also​