Air China’s frequent flyer members will soon have a new way to pay for select travel services abroad.
Wetour, a company linked to the airline’s PhoenixMiles loyalty program, has rolled out support for XRP payments on its international platforms.
The new option will allow customers to use XRP for add-on services such as airport transfers and private car rentals in overseas markets. Wetour positioned the rollout as a limited step, framing it as an experiment with digital asset payments in specific international settings rather than a full embrace of crypto.
Mainland China maintains one of the strictest bans on cryptocurrency usage, prohibiting all digital asset payments and steering consumers toward the state-backed digital yuan (e-CNY). For that reason, XRP payments will only be available to Air China’s 60 million PhoenixMiles members when traveling or living abroad.
Air China itself is controlled by China National Aviation Holdings, a central government-owned conglomerate, making the development more notable as one of the few crypto-adjacent pilots tied to a state enterprise — even if implemented outside the mainland.
Industry watchers see the announcement as part of a broader pattern: Chinese state-linked firms quietly experimenting with blockchain-based solutions in overseas environments while avoiding friction with domestic rules. By offering crypto payments abroad, companies like Wetour can study digital asset adoption and remain competitive with global travel players — all without crossing Beijing’s red lines at home.
