Take Your Tutoring Business Global with Alipay and WeChat Pay

Your next student could be across town, across the country, or halfway around the world.

Online tutoring has opened the door to students far beyond your local community. Suddenly, the right student for your business doesn’t have to be the one who lives closest.

But when your students can come from anywhere, the way they prefer to pay can look a little different too.

That’s why TutorBird is adding support for Alipay and WeChat Pay, another way to make paying for lessons feel as easy for your international students as attending them.

TL; DR

Alipay and WeChat Pay are now available as payment options for eligible TutorBird users through Stripe, giving international students and families more ways to pay for lessons.

Both payment methods are available for one-time payments only and must be enabled through your Stripe account.

A Familiar Way to Pay Goes a Long Way

Think about the last time you checked out online and saw the payment method you already use. No new account to create. No unfamiliar process to figure out. You pay and move on.

That familiarity matters for your students and families too.

When you’re working across borders, offering payment options that your families already know and trust makes paying for lessons feel like a natural part of the experience, rather than another thing they need to learn.

Meet Alipay and WeChat Pay

If you haven’t used Alipay or WeChat Pay before, there’s a good chance some of your international students have.

Both are popular digital payment methods used by millions around the world.

Alipay, operated by Ant Group, is a digital wallet that lets customers make payments online and in person.

WeChat Pay is built directly into WeChat, one of the world’s most widely used apps, so users can make payments through an app that’s already part of their everyday lives.

For families who use them, it’s one less reason to reach for a credit or debit card.

And now, eligible TutorBird users can offer both through Stripe.

How Do Alipay and WeChat Pay Work with TutorBird?

Ready to offer Alipay and WeChat Pay? Here’s what you need to know.

Enable Them Through Stripe

Alipay and WeChat Pay won’t be automatically enabled on your account. If they’re available to you, you’ll need to turn them on through your Stripe payment settings.

Keep Them for One-Time Payments

Alipay and WeChat Pay are currently available for one-time payments through TutorBird. They can’t be used with Auto Pay, so students and families using either option will need to authorize each payment individually.

Once enabled, you can give eligible students and families another way to pay without changing how you manage payments in TutorBird.

No Credit Card Chargebacks

Because Alipay and WeChat Pay payments are approved directly by the person paying, they can’t be disputed through the credit card chargeback process later.

That means you don’t have to worry about a payment being reversed through a credit card dispute after you’ve received it.

Check Availability in Your Country

Alipay and WeChat Pay are available to eligible Stripe users in a number of countries, but availability varies depending on where your Stripe account is registered and the currencies you accept.

Before getting started, check Stripe’s current availability for Alipay and WeChat Pay to see which payment methods are supported for your business.

How Processing Fees Work

There isn’t one universal processing fee for Alipay and WeChat Pay. The rate you pay depends on the country where your Stripe account is registered.

For example, Canadian Stripe accounts currently pay 2.9% + CA$0.30 per successful Alipay or WeChat Pay transaction. Businesses in other countries may have different rates.

Stripe automatically handles any required currency conversion before the payment reaches your account. Depending on your region and currency, additional conversion fees may apply.

For the most up-to-date rates, check Stripe’s local payment method pricing for your region.

Ready to Take Your Tutoring Business Global?

Expanding your tutoring business internationally comes with plenty of moving pieces. Getting paid doesn’t have to be one of them.

With Alipay and WeChat Pay, you can give more students and families a payment option that already fits into their lives, making it that much easier to turn a new connection into a new student.

Ready to get started? Check out our step-by-step guides to enable Alipay or enable WeChat Pay through Stripe.

Still have questions? Contact our Support Team. We’re always happy to help.