Here’s another solution for Apple Mac users who are frustrated with Chinese online banking. Payment provider Lakala have come up with a card swipe machine for home use. Requiring a phone line connection, this operates independent of the computer and allows you pay bills (phone, gas, electricity etc.) as well as mobile phone top-up and TaoBao payments. All from the convenience of your own home. By doing a physical swipe, you can bypass the online banking restrictions and will benefit generally from more generous transaction limits.
Only cards with the UnionPay logo are accepted. When I tested, only debit card could be used for mobile phone repayment, but UnionPay credit card was accepted for mobile top-up and TaoBao payments. What’s more, non-Mainland issued UnionPay cards (in my case, from Hong Kong) do work – whereas they aren’t accepted by most online platforms. So far so good.
Taobao Payment
Taobao payments are easy. At the payment method selection screen, choose the Lakala logo under the ‘cash or swipe’ tab (现金或刷卡). If you do not see this option, check that you are logged into Alipay first.
(The Taobao/Alipay plugin does work, but sometimes doesn’t load properly in certain login scenarios. If you have problems, open a new window to alipay.com and login separately. Your cookie should carry over to the original window).
On the next page the transaction ID will be clearly displayed along with a confirmation of amount. You will need to enter these numbers into the card swipe machine. If you don’t have a pen handy you may request this be sent to your phone via SMS by clicking 点此发送至手机.
Now, on the swipe machine, navigate to: “3. 淘宝支付宝充值付款” then “1. 为支付宝交易号付款”. Some Chinese proficiency is recommended. At the following screen (“输入支付宝交易号即可刷卡付款”) – just press the 确认 key to continue.
You will now need to enter the transaction ID, followed by price, and finally your mobile number. (The Lakala machine uses your mobile number as a user identifier).
A few more screens later, you will be asked to swipe your UnionPay card, followed by a PIN prompt. Finally, you are given the transaction response: if you see this, your payment has been accepted. Back at your browser, it is not necessary to take any action as the payment result would have gone through automatically. Easy.
Note: Lakala takes 1% of your transaction price for Taobao purchases, with a ¥2 minimum and a ¥50 maximum.
The Lakala machine can be purchased for ¥399 direct from Lakala. After activation and first use, you must register the device using the form and envelope provided; a photo copy of your ID / passport will be required.
Note: This only works on Safari at present.
