The Definitive Guide to Use Chinese Yuan to Purchase Apps from the App Store

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By Chris Chang, posted Nov 18, 2011 at 12:59 PM, 639 views,

The Definitive Guide to Use Chinese Yuan to Purchase Apps from the App Store

China has become an increasingly important part of Apple’s empire, in fact, China is the second largest market for downloads in Apple’s App Store. That’s great, and today it looks like the company has taken one more BIG step to growing that even more: the company is now accepting payments in Chinese Yuan on its App Store, in order to make everything easier for customers in its fastest growing market to get their hands on apps.

Last year, Apple opened a version of its App Store using simplified Chinese characters to make it easier for Chinese users to navigate the store. However, Apple forgot one thing at that time — Piracy. Chinese shoppers had to hold a dual-currency credit card in order to make App Store purchases, which caused a lot of people to just jailbreak and install pirated software from outside sources, or make purchases in the App Store using false identities and fraudulent gift cards. Today, the change makes it easier for users in China to pay for downloads. Instead of using a credit card that is able to process U.S. dollar transactions, Chinese shoppers are able to pay money with Chinese Yuan directly now. How? Apple has begun accepting payment via local bank cards, with customers able to top-up their iTunes Store accounts with prepaid amounts from their bank accounts to fund their App Store purchases.

How It Works

Guess what, over 20 Chinese banks have entered into an arrangement with Apple that will allow their customers to make payments in yuan to buy apps on the iPhone, iPad and Mac App Stores. Starting from today, download prices for apps in the China version of the App Store were being displayed in yuan. The most interesting part is that the store enables customers to top up their iTunes accounts with yuan, in increments of 50, 100, 300, and 500 renminbi (RMB), which then gets deducted as they purchase apps. If you don’t like the top up way, you can choose to enter payment information from cards issued by supported banks. Below is the pricing of the apps in Chinese yuan:

$0.99 app = 6 yuan

$1.99 app = 12 yuan

$2.99 app = 18 yuan

$3.99 app = 25 yuan

$4.99 app = 30 yuan

$5.99 app = 40 yuan

$6.99 app = 45 yuan

…..

$9.99 app = 68 yuan

…..

$11.99 app = 78 yuan

…..

$15.99 app = 108 yuan

Adding money to your iTunes Store account

It’s pretty simple, no matter you’re doing it on a computer or a mobile device.

If you are adding money to your iTunes Store account on a computer, just open iTunes and you can first see your account balance from the Store page on iTunes.

Viewing your account details will allow you to add money to your account. You can choose the amount you would like to transfer to your iTunes Store account, and choose the bank card you would like the funds to be transferred from. Completing these two steps will take you to the bank card’s website to complete further instructions on the website to complete the transfer.

If you are adding money to your account on an iPhone/iPad, just scroll to the bottom of the page on App Store, tap and view your Apple ID. You will see the Add Money button at there.

Tap the amount you would like to transfer to your iTunes Store account.

Tap the bank card you would like to use to transfer the funds, but please note that only some banks allow money to be added using an iOS device. If your bank is not listed in the list, you will need to add money from a computer.

Here’s the tricky part. You will need to tap the authorization method you would like to use — Mobile Website or Mobile Phone.

Tapping “Mobile Website” will take you to the bank card’s website. You will need to complete the transaction on your bank’s website to complete the entire transaction. If you tap “Mobile Phone”, you will need to ensure that your bank card has been set up for mobile phone authorization. There will be a form for you to fill up, and you will receive a telephone call from your bank to authorize the transfer. Once authorized, the funds will be transferred to your iTunes Store account.

You can choose to add money from a computer if your bank is listed inside that red box.

Last but not least, you have to accept the Terms and Conditions when asked.

Wrap-up

The change is indeed designed to curtail piracy and grow Apple’s software ecosystem in its most promising growth market. We can say it is a major new addition for Chinese users, especially those who have so far been unable to purchase items on the App Store due to their inability to pay in US dollars through their credit cards. According to Duncan Clark, chairman of Beijing-based consulting firm BDA China Ltd.,

“Apple is likely to sell “millions” more applications in China because of the change, though some users will still load pirated apps,”

And here’s what a Chinese netizen said on Sina Weibo (China’s Twitter-like service):

“Man, I could download Plants vs. Zombies for just 18 yuan! That’s less than 20 yuan!!!”

We actually think some users who once pirated software will choose to go legit for the sake of ease and convenience. In fact, a survey poll was attached to a Sina article. Here are the results:

What is the highest price you can accept for an app? (9,764 voters)

The Apple App Store in China now supports China-currency credit card and local bank cards for app purchase, will you go legit? (4,278 voters)

On the other side, this new move could also be an attempt by Apple to combat the piracy of apps from the App Store. Apps that allow the jailbreaking of iOS devices and installation of pirated apps and iTunes gift cards with stolen credit are widespread in China. Apple is hoping that the ability for Chinese customers to pay for apps will deter the honest ones from resorting to illegal means. What’s more, the change should be good not only for Apple, but also for iOS developers, as it positions the App Store as better able to compete with local application marketplaces like Mobile Market (China Mobile’s App Store) and WoStore (China Unicom’s App Store), which already offered payment options Chinese customers prefer, like mobile carrier billing. As far as we know, accounts topped up rather than linked to credit or debit cards are a common route for paying for mobile services in the country. Well done, Apple.

Source: Wall Street Journal
More Coverage: iTunes Store