As reported by SoftBank News, PayPay Corporation—a leading financial services provider in Japan with its “PayPay” cashless payment service and a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) group company—has been at the forefront of providing QR code-based payment options for international visitors to Japan to meet growing tourism demand. But what about PayPay customers when they travel abroad?
To meet the needs of Japan’s outbound travelers, PayPay is going beyond borders to offer a brand new service.
PayPay’s “Overseas Payment Mode” debuts
On September 30, 2025, PayPay launched “Overseas Payment Mode,” a service that makes it possible to use the PayPay app overseas. In addition to making payments at stores affiliated with Alipay+, customers can utilize major features such as peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions and balance top-ups internationally. Furthermore, as the amount paid locally can be immediately checked in Japanese yen, customers can use the PayPay app overseas with the same peace of mind and convenience as they do in Japan.
Overseas Payment Mode is now available in South Korea, which ranks as the number one destination for Japan-based outbound travelers, according to JTB Tourism Research & Consulting.
Convenient features to make travel even more enjoyable
Overseas Payment Mode comes with loads of features to make shopping and dining abroad more convenient and seamless. To use the service, PayPay customers need to verify their identity in the app in Japan before they travel. When PayPay customers make payments abroad, they earn PayPay Points just as they do within Japan, and they can also split bills using the Send/Receive feature.
Payments made in Overseas Payment Mode support both Customer-presented mode (CPM; barcode & QR code) and Merchant-presented mode (MPM) methods of payment. Also, just like in Japan, customers can opt to pay either with the “PayPay Balance” red screen or the “PayPay Credit” blue screen.
During transactions, the amounts are immediately displayed both in the local currency and Japanese yen, providing users with instant awareness of their spending. To facilitate communication during payments, the app displays a payment request message in the local language, indicating the transaction is being made through Alipay+. If users have completed identity verification in Japan, the Overseas Payment Mode is automatically activated at their travel destination.
South Korea the first destination for Overseas Payment Mode
South Korea is the first travel destination to support the Overseas Payment Mode. Now it’s possible for PayPay customers to make payments at a wide range of establishments and locations within the country, including convenience stores, department stores and cosmetics shops, as well as restaurants and food stalls. Payments can be made at stores and locations displaying the “Alipay+” and “zero pay” logos shown below.
Look for this mark to find shops in South Korea that accept PayPay
Customers can rest assured that their data is securely stored on servers in a protected environment, similar to when they use PayPay in Japan. Additionally, no user-identifiable information is shared with or transferred to local services or stores, including Alipay+. And to prevent unauthorized use, login from a new device while overseas is not possible; only the continued use of a device previously used within Japan is permitted.
Looking ahead, PayPay is working to expand the number of destinations that support the Overseas Payment Mode so customers can rely on the PayPay app for secure, convenient and rewarding payments, whether at home or abroad.
For more details, see this press release (in English) and dedicated website (in Japanese) from PayPay.
(Posted on October 3, 2025)
by SoftBank News Editors
