Tencent’s WeChat Pay team launched the TenPayGo app last week. The app is designed for visitors from other countries who travel in China.

TenPayGo works with seven international card networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, and about 60 overseas digital wallets. Travelers can link their home‑country cards or wallets to the app.

People can sign up using only an email address. They do not need a Chinese phone number, which many other services in China require.

The app lets users pay at tens of millions of shops, restaurants and attractions across China, according to the South China Morning Post.

In Shenzhen, the app also gives a QR‑code that can be scanned to ride buses and the metro, without a local phone number or transport card, as reported by SCMP.

TenPayGo also lets users order food online and book ride‑hailing services, according to the Financial Times.

Using Tencent’s artificial intelligence, the app can instantly translate menus and recognise objects when users scan them. Tencent is working with local banks to add a tax‑refund feature.

These features mean foreign visitors can move around, eat, shop and get refunds more easily, even if they do not have a Chinese phone number.