UK. Plaza Premium Lounges has made Alipay available in all of its lounges at London Heathrow Airport.
The eWallet payment system offers a cardless and cashless payment process and is particularly popular among Chinese travellers.
Plaza Premium Lounges said it was one of the first outlets at Heathrow to launch the payment method across all the terminals it operates in.
All transactions are carried out securely through the Alipay website, either by searching for the outlet name or by scanning a QR code via a mobile phone, tablet or other technical devices.
Amin Amin, General Manager of the United Kingdom arm of Plaza Premium Group, said: “Alipay is already a successful and well-known brand across East Asia and we’re proud to be able to bring the concept to Europe and the UK. More importantly [we’re proud to] be the first brand to bring it to London Heathrow Airport through our lounges.
“Alipay is a slick, easy and convenient way of paying in an ever-growing technology-led age that is becoming ever less reliant on cash and card payments and means that passengers that use our services won’t find the need to ensure that they carry various kinds of currency for the destinations that they will visit.”
Payment methods that work in association with Alipay include Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It was launched in China in 2004, while Zapper facilitates Alipay in the UK.
Heathrow Airport Digital Manager Stephen Glenfield commented: “We are constantly developing technology to adapt to the diverse needs of our passengers.
“We are delighted that Plaza Premium has become the first independent UK lounge to embrace Alipay, ensuring East Asian customers have a seamless and improved experience every time they travel through Heathrow.”
Plaza Premium Lounges can be found in the departures areas of London Heathrow Airport in terminals two, four and five and in the arrival areas of terminals two, three and four.
