Good news! Recently WeChat real-time tax refund services are available at a staggering 77 airports in 19 countries, with tax-refund after returning to China available in 26 countries.
However, WeChat’s tax refund feature isn’t actually a core WeChat or WeChat Pay feature but a WeChat mini-program developed by WeChat’s parent company, Tencent.
We Tax Refund
The service’s official English name is We Tax Refund—adding to the confusion owing to the “We”—whereas it’s explicitly branded as a Tencent product in Chinese (“腾讯退税通”) since refunds can be processed through both WeChat Pay and QQ Wallet.
Tencent tax refund centers at airports are branded as “微信退税” (WeChat Tax Refund).
How does it work?
For users who have installed the WeChat mini-program, tax refunds are available through airport refund centers, downtown refund centers, as well as at home in China.
Once you have finished your shopping and had your Tax Free Forms validated by Customs, you simply need to visit the airport refund counter and follow the below steps:
Step 1
Fill in the Application Form for Tax Refund and choose "WeChat Tax Refund"
Step 2
Bring the Application Form for Tax Refund to the customs for sealing, and meanwhile prepare the receipt, payment document and passport for inspection.
Step 3
Scan the QR code using your WeChat at the refund point, click "立即退税" to refund immediately.
QR-code of the miniprogram
Step 4
Show the refund staff the barcode displayed in your mini app.
The refund will be paid to your WeChat wallet. You’ll see your refund in 
¥ RMB in your WeChat wallet straight away.
Successful Tax Refund
Every payment received has a notice to ensure the safety of funds.
Tax refund receipts
You can also check the tax refund income details by "Tax Refund Record".
Tax refund record
Needless to say, Tencent isn’t the first (nor the last) company to tackle Chinese tourist spending in general and tax refunds in particular. WeChat Pay has been aggressively expanding abroad, and a more convenient tax-free shopping experience could help give Tencent an upper hand against rivals Alipay and UnionPay as they battle it out on the international stage.
Of course, both Alipay and UnionPay are also making efforts to tackle tax refunds for Chinese customers abroad.
77 Airports Around the World
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As of right now, Chinese travelers can enjoy WeChat refunds at the 77 airports of the following 26 countries :
Austria (2 airports)
Croatia (2 airports)
Czechia (3 airports)
Denmark (2 airports)
Estonia (1 airport)
Greece (9 airports)
Lithuania (3 airports)
South Korea (1 airport)
Finland (1 airport)
Germany (14 airports)
Latvia (1 airport)
Norway (6 airports)
Switzerland (3 airports)
Sweden (3 airports)
Italy (16 airports)
The Netherlands (1 airport)
Spain (6 airports)
Portugal (4 airports)
Slovenia (1 airport)
From a quick glance at the list, it’s obvious that We Tax Refund is currently a predominantly European affair, with the exception of South Korea. However, even in Western Europe there are two Chinese tourist shopping havens still missing: France and the United Kingdom.
However, it is safe to say that, with Tencent’s tax refund ambitions, the number of countries and airports where Chinese travelers can utilize WeChat tax refunds will keep growing.
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