South Korean travelers using Kakao Pay can now tap and pay overseas as Alipay+ and Mastercard extend contactless payments to more than 150 million merchant locations worldwide.

Kakao Pay is one of the first Alipay+ mobile payment partners to introduce NFC payments abroad.

The new feature lets users with NFC-enabled Android phones tap their device at contactless POS terminals that accept Mastercard in markets including Japan, Southeast Asia, the U.S., Europe and Oceania.

It complements existing QR code and barcode-based cross-border payments.

The service is live on the latest versions of the Kakao Pay app, with KakaoTalk for Android coming later in September and an iOS rollout planned in the future.

“Just as we do in South Korea, we aim to provide the most convenient and rewarding payment experience overseas.

Kakao Pay is becoming an essential travel and payment platform that accompanies users at every moment of their overseas trips and fulfils their needs.”

said Seung Jun Oh, Head of Payment Group, Kakao Pay.

“People today expect payment experiences that are seamless, intuitive, and built into the apps they already trust—like Kakao Pay. Through this partnership, Mastercard is making overseas payments simpler and more secure for Korean users when they travel.

Instead of thinking about how to pay, they can focus on what matters—feeling confident and enjoying the moment, wherever they are in the world.”

said Sandeep Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Core Payments, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.

Alipay+ said it has been working with Mastercard to expand digital payment acceptance for its partner wallets worldwide.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Freepik