No messy coins—and more importantly -- no embarrassment. This is how young Chinese "go Dutch" these days—scan a QR code and pay their share via smart phones in one easy click.
It was the first time most of the 13 people at my dinner table last weekend had used the function on social networking tool WeChat and they were sold. "It has made going Dutch less hassle and so much more fun," said Zhou Ye, a Beijing-based journalist. "Young people think splitting bills this way is fun, and older ones may find it fashionable to do so." Most importantly, it saves people the embarrassment of figuring out who owes what.
Splitting the bill is a relatively new idea to most Chinese. It's being popular among the young people, but for many older folks, who fear "losing face," it feels embarrassing. At dinner parties, families and friends often fight over who will cover the expense.
Payment options on WeChat wallet, left, and Alipay wallet, right. Used by 600 million Chinese, WeChat is similar to WhatsApp but has many more features. One of them, WeChat Wallet, allows people to pay for almost any service by smart phone. The bill splitting function was launched last year. Owned by Chinese Internet giant Tencent, the payment platform competes with Alibaba's Alipay, which is widely used and also has a bill splitting function.
The smartphone apps that rely on these payment platforms have transformed the lives of many urban Chinese. Massages, haircuts, house cleaning, laundry services and personal trainers can be ordered in your own home. Zhao Mengsha, 28, an editor in a magazine enjoys a manicure once every month, and pays half of the price charged in salons. "It's just really convenient," she said. "I wouldn't have thought about getting a massage at work without the apps." Like millions of others, Zhao uses Alipay and WeChat to pay for the services. "You can make do without a wallet but can't live without your smartphone when you go out these days," Zhao said.
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