WeChat Pay to offer Macao digital shopping vouchers

WeChat Pay, the mobile wallet embedded in messaging app WeChat, announced on Monday it will help in the distribution of shopping coupons to be used for travel in Macao.

From Sept 1 to Dec 31, a total of 290 million Macao patacas ($36.3 million) worth of digital vouchers are scheduled to be handed out to WeChat users who will embark on a trip to the city. The initiative is under the auspices of several Chinese mainland authorities and the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Tourists from the Chinese mainland stand to snap up 50 percent discount coupons on Macao hotels by making an appointment through a dedicated mini program on the trip to Macao.

The first round of shopping coupons is to be distributed via the mini program at 10 am on each Sunday beginning Sept 6, when customers are entitled to multiple rounds of lucky draws once they have signed up for the event. A coupon can deduct up to 500 yuan.

Other perks, such as discounts at offline shopping avenues, are also up for grabs, as long as customers follow the official WeChat Public account of Macao's tourism bureau, where it disseminates information and engages in customer management.

Since August, visas for both individual and group tours to Macao from the Chinese mainland are being restored in phases, as the country sees flattened curves in COVID-19 cases.