Digital payment platform Alipay announced on Monday the launch of its paperless tax refund service in South Korea. The firm reported that it teamed up with Global Tax Free (GTF) for the new service, which notably enables Chinese tourists to apply for and claims tax rebates on their mobile phone app, skipping in-city and airport tax refund counters altogether.
According to Alipay, after scanning their passports at self-service kiosks prior to leaving South Korea, Chinese tourists can process tax rebates and immediately receive RMB refunds by using the Alipay mobile app to scan tax refund receipts within 90 days of purchasing. Speaking about the service, Danny Chung, General Manager of Alipay Korea, stated that the company has explored ways to expedite tax refunds for Chinese tourists to enhance the outbound travel experience, with Alipay users already able to receive tax refunds at more than 80 airports and a growing number of in-city shops globally after processing at a tax counter.
“With this unique new function, Alipay users can skip the queue and process tax refunds on their mobiles, without filling out and submitting any paper work. This will both save time and make it easier to claim refunds. We look forward to working with our partners and leveraging our technological capabilities to bring more convenient tax refund solutions to outbound Alipay users.”
Alipay also shared that the introduction of the mobile service will expedite the tax refund process in South Korea. The company then added that it and GTF have plans to expand the tax refund service to more merchants and other countries in Asia in the future.