Three stores in Hangzhou are piloting a new tax refund model, “Refunding upon Purchasing Pilot Program”. Overseas tourists shopping at these stores for over 500 yuan can immediately handle their tax refund without leaving the store, with the refund directly credited to their Alipay account.
This initiative is another innovation by Hangzhou's tax authorities, following the introduction of the first intelligent terminal for real-time tax refunds at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. It aims to further enhance the convenience for foreign travelers when processing tax refunds. Hangzhou Tower Co., Ltd. is one of these stores participating in the "Refund Upon Purchase" pilot program.
Last year, the first batch of self-service machines for tax refund was launched at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, greatly facilitating the tax refund process for overseas tourists. However, the airport's shopping options are relatively limited, and tourists often don't have enough time to spend their refunds. Compared to the previous model, the expansion of the convenient payment system to pilot stores across the city provides overseas tourists with more opportunities for consumption after receiving their tax refunds.
You can check the list of "Refunding upon Purchasing Pilot Program" stores by scanning the QR code.