Latest news with #Alipay
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- Business
- LeMonde
In China, coins and banknotes have all but disappeared
You have to get up early if you have any hope of spotting them, and you must stay alert to identify them in the aisles. At the Xinmin fresh produce and vegetable market, located in the heart of Beijing just North of the 2 nd Ring Road, the oldest customers are now the last to keep using coins and banknotes, which are vanishing from the rest of Chinese society. The world's second-largest economy has undergone rapid digitization, and all daily transactions – from supermarkets to cafés, taxis to public transportation – are now made with one of two apps that have become vital to life in China: WeChat or Alipay. Their green and blue logos are displayed at every payment point, and many businesses no longer even keep a traditional cash register, but instead simply scan the QR code presented by the customer. Many taxis refuse cash payments, as do many neighborhood grocery stores, which often do not have the change to give back in any case. Ma Dian, a fruit and vegetable vendor from Hubei who works at this covered market in the capital, observed that the trend surged abruptly over the past decade, becoming what he calls a "radical change." "I still accept cash only to help the very elderly. Below the age of 80, almost everyone has switched; above that, it's much harder to adapt," he said while promoting his Dalian blueberries.
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Martin Lewis issues credit card warning to Brits abroad
You could be hit with some unexpected extra fees. Martin Lewis has issued an urgent alert to Brits about the use of credit cards while on holiday. The finance expert has drawn attention to the potential hazards of withdrawing cash with this type of card. Figuring out the most cost-effective way to spend money while on holiday can be a challenge. Some countries still largely rely on cash, whereas others are more open to card and mobile payments. And in certain destinations, such as Morocco, it's not possible to get local currency before leaving the UK. Regardless of where you're headed, Martin strongly discourages using your credit card for cash withdrawals. On his website Money Saving Expert, he expanded on his guidance. Martin said: "Withdrawing cash on a credit card abroad?". As reported by GlasgowLive, he highlighted that this habit could have a detrimental effect on your credit score. "It could impact your credit rating," he further explained. "We get this question a lot, as we warn against credit card ATM withdrawals in the UK, as it risks high interest and many lenders see it as a debt-problem indicator." However, infrequent use of this method is generally not an issue. He stated: "Yet if you only do it occasionally abroad on a specialist card, it's not a biggie, just don't overdo it and pay it off in full" He also mentioned that in some countries, using a UK card can be a "bit trickier". This includes: In Japan, you may need special ATMs to use international cards In China, hotels take cards, but elsewhere Alipay is easier In India, some shops and restaurants won't take international cards As well as using credit cards for cash withdrawals he also advised against using them to top up prepayment cards. He clarified: "You'll likely pay fees and interest. "Most credit-card providers count these as a cash transaction - so charge withdrawal fees and interest. It's always better to use a debit card if you can." For those planning a holiday and seeking to exchange currency beforehand, MSE's online travel money comparison tool here can be a handy resource.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Martin Lewis issues urgent holiday warning for Brits using their credit cards
Martin Lewis issues urgent holiday warning for Brits using their credit cards The finance expert has warned Brits against using a credit card to withdraw cash while on holiday Martin Lewis issued a warning about using credit cards abroad (Image: Getty ) A finance expert has issued a pressing credit card warning to Brits on holiday. Martin Lewis highlighted the potential risks of withdrawing cash using your card. Understanding the best way to spend money abroad can be challenging. Some countries still predominantly operate with cash, while others readily accept card and phone payments. For some destinations, such as Morocco, obtaining the currency from the UK before your trip is not possible, making things even more complicated. However, regardless of your destination, Martin Lewis strongly advises against using your credit card to withdraw cash. In an article on his website Money Saving Expert, he elaborated further, saying: "Withdrawing cash on a credit card abroad?". He pointed out that this could negatively affect your credit rating. "It could impact your credit rating," he added. Article continues below "We receive this query frequently, as we caution against credit card ATM withdrawals in the UK, due to the risk of high interest and many lenders viewing it as an indicator of debt problems." Doing this sporadically is usually not an issue, however. He stated: "Yet if you only do it occasionally abroad on a specialist card, it's not a biggie, just don't overdo it and pay it off in full." He also noted that in a few countries, using a UK card can be a "bit trickier". This includes: In Japan, you may need special ATMs to use international cards In China, hotels take cards, but elsewhere Alipay is easier In India, some shops & restaurants won't take international cards Adding to these tips, Martin advised against using a credit card to purchase cash or load a prepaid card, warning: "You'll likely pay fees and interest." He explained the reason by saying, "Most credit-card providers count these as a cash transaction - so charge withdrawal fees and interest. It's always better to use a debit card if you can." Article continues below For those looking to exchange currency prior to travelling, you can use MSE's online travel money comparison tool available here.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
These Smart Glasses Are Already Kicking Meta Ray-Bans' Ass
Meta clearly has more competition than ever in the world of smart glasses, and that field of competitors isn't getting any slimmer. The most recent company to join the smart glasses fray is China's Xiaomi, which just unveiled a pair of frames that, if I'm being totally honest here, puts Meta's Ray-Ban glasses to shame—at least on paper. The first thing I noticed about Xiaomi's AI Glasses, which costs around the same price as Meta's Ray-Ban glasses at $280, is that it does something that I've been wanting for a long time as an owner of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses. According to Xiaomi, its AI Glasses can be used for mobile payments with a combination of the glasses' camera and Alipay, Alibaba's popular mobile payment system. From what I can gather from Xiaomi's press materials, the glasses can scan a QR code and then use the onboard voice assistant as confirmation that you actually want to pay for an item. On the surface, it sounds like you could end up accidentally walking around paying for things, but with a few failsafes—voice activation and verification—I don't think that should be an issue. I don't have the full details on how the feature works, though, so fingers crossed Xiaomi thought this one through—if it did, then it could be incredibly convenient. Next is something I've also thought about many times while wearing Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, especially when I want to wear them inside—electrochromic lenses. To put that phrase in layman's terms, that means the ability to electrically shift whether the lenses are shaded or transparent. Sure, Ray-Ban smart glasses can be purchased with transition lenses installed, but being able to shift between shaded and transparent manually is kind of awesome, especially if you can fine-adjust the level depending on your eyesight or preference. And the advantages don't stop there. If this last bit is true—I have my doubts that it is—then Xiaomi's smart glasses are frankly blowing Meta's Ray-Ban glasses out of the water. According to Xiaomi's literature, the AI Glasses have an absurd 45 minutes of continuous video recording. That would be impressive, not just for a pair of smart glasses, but for an iPhone 16 Pro even, which tends to get pretty damn hot when recording video for extended lengths of time. Meta's Ray-Bans, by the way, can record a maximum of three minutes of video in one sitting, which was recently upped from the original max recording length of 90 seconds. In addition to those three things, Xiaomi's glasses match Meta's Ray-Bans in almost every way and even push the envelope in a few more. There's a 12-megapixel camera, a voice assistant onboard, and a five-mic array for using its voice assistant and taking calls—all three of those things match Meta's Ray-Bans punch for punch. In the battery department, Xiaomi's glasses allegedly roll the ball forward big time, though. While Meta's glasses are only rated for four hours of battery, Xiaomi says its glasses can last for 8.6 hours on a single charge. Again, this is kind of a major claim, so I'm approaching that spec with some skepticism, but if it is true, that makes Meta look silly. Oh, Xiaomi also says the glasses are capable of first-person video calls and livestreaming, too. Sure. Why not? I have my doubts about Xiaomi's AI Glasses, don't get me wrong, but if they really do what the company says they do, they might easily (on paper, at least) be the best smart glasses out there. They don't crack the code with an augmented display on the lens or anything like that, but they allegedly double the battery life, expand the continuous recording time by 15x Meta's glasses, and include more nice-to-haves like the ability to execute mobile payments or manually transition the lenses in or out of shade mode. Even if these things are total bullshit, I'm starting to think that Meta ought to really up the game here, because Xiaomi's smart glasses are now the only ones I want.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
China's fintech giant Ant doubles down on health care with new AI app — and it wants it to go global
BEIJING — Alibaba-affiliate Ant Group is doubling down on health care with a new smartphone app, based on artificial intelligence technology that the company says could be rolled out overseas. It's the latest sign of how China-developed AI is quickly building consumer applications. Ant, operator of the popular Alipay mobile payments app, has focused much of its AI development efforts on health care based on large language models from DeepSeek, Alibaba and Ant. In a telling sign of global aspirations, the new health-care app launched on Thursday has a straightforward English name — AQ — which stands for "answer your question," said Zhang Junjie, general manager of health-care business at Alipay. Users can consult AI avatars of real-life medical specialists before getting priority access for a diagnostic appointment or hospital care if the situation is serious enough, he said. AQ can tap more than 5,000 hospitals and nearly 1 million doctors in China, according to Ant. While Ant's focus is on the mainland China market for now, the new app or its tech could be licensed out to a third party, Zhang said, without specifying a time frame. He said many foreigners in China have already used a pilot version of the app, and that Ant plans to release versions of the app in other languages. Chinese companies from startups to more established companies such as Tencent and Ping An Insurance have long sought to capitalize on the integration of internet and software with health care. In the last several months, U.S.-based tech giants such as Microsoft and have also announced progress on AI-powered health-care tools. In China, a large data pool and nationwide emphasis on digitalization have helped provide a foundation for AI-powered health-care functions, according to a report last month from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. It pointed out that China's national health insurance system covers more than 95% of the country's 1.4 billion people, while about 70% of hospitals have digital record-keeping systems. Alipay is one of the two major mobile payments apps in mainland China. In addition to payments, the app can be used to pay the water bill, hail a taxi or order groceries from Alibaba's supermarket chain. The payments app has also branched into health care over the last decade, with features such as allowing users to digitally make an appointment at one of China's notoriously crowded public hospitals, instead of having to wait in line for a ticket. Those Alipay health-care services have already reached nearly 80 million users in China, Zhang said. The standalone AQ app incorporates those features, along with AI-powered functions such as doctor recommendations, medical report analysis and personalized medical advice. Alipay has expanded to users outside China, as has its mobile payments rival WeChat.
