7-Eleven Korea adds LINE Pay to woo Taiwanese visitors

A customer pays with LINE Pay at a 7-Eleven Korea store / Courtesy of 7-Eleven Korea

As Taiwanese tourists visit Korea in growing numbers, drawn by the global pull of K-culture, retailers here are moving to adapt.

On Wednesday, 7-Eleven Korea said it would begin accepting Taiwan’s dominant mobile payment service, LINE Pay, at all locations starting April 1, allowing visitors to pay as seamlessly as they do at home.

The move underscores a broader push by Korean retailers to capture Taiwanese tourist spending, a quickly rebounding segment. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, foreign arrivals reached a record 18.9 million last year, with spending increasing by 60 percent from a year earlier.

Among them, roughly 1.89 million came from Taiwan, making it the third-largest source of visitors after China and Japan. The recovery rate from prepandemic 2019 levels reached 181 percent, the highest among major markets.

LINE Pay, used by more than half of Taiwan’s population, has become a default payment method for many travelers. By integrating the service, 7-Eleven aims to remove friction at checkout counters and capture a greater share of tourist spending.

Payments will be processed through a QR-based system. Store staff generate a QR code at the point-of-sale terminal, which customers scan using their LINE Pay app to complete transactions instantly — no currency exchange required.

To mark the launch, the company is offering promotions throughout April. Customers paying with LINE Pay can receive up to 25 percent of their purchase amount back in reward points, combining base accruals of 7 percent with additional benefits tied to affiliated cards, including those from Visa.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to expand global payment options beyond duty-free shops and department stores into everyday retail, where convenience stores play a central role in tourist spending.

The company said it will roll out additional promotions and tailored services for foreign visitors, positioning 7-Eleven as a go-to retail destination for international customers. It has already introduced a range of tourist-focused offerings, including customizable transit cards, instant photo printing kiosks and collectible merchandise such as figurines, keychains and K-pop idol photo cards.

The company said Taiwan is a key market, with visitors who actively engage with Korean convenience stores and food. “With the introduction of LINE Pay, tourists can now enjoy a seamless shopping experience at convenience stores, beyond duty-free shops and department stores,” it said. “We will continue to expand payment options tailored to global customers.”

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.