People in Guangzhou will enjoy a new banking service from next week, allowing payment in installments at some designated restaurants and tea shops. [Photo: Information Times]

Meals or tea can be paid by mortgage from next week at some of the restaurants and tea houses in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, the Information Times reports.

Dr Zhang Zhiqiang, vice-chairman of the Guangdong Restaurant Association and who conceived the idea, said he was inspired by an old lady who visited his tea shop. When the lady said she wanted to buy goods worth 3,000 yuan, Zhang could not sell her the products because she did not have enough cash. This meant loss for the seller and buyer.

Zhang believes payment by installments at restaurants or tea houses will help customers and benefit merchants enormously. Therefore, Zhang Zhiqiang and a local branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) reached an agreement on the payment by installments after a 5-month-long negotiation.

As ICBC stipulates, the consumers can pay for meals in installments when the bill exceeds 600 yuan with the payments period ranging from three months to two years.

Since the policy was introduced, many merchants have shown great interest and inquired about the service. Li Yan, a manager with a local ICBC branch, said the bank would install a special Point-of-Sale system (POS) in restaurants and shops after owners apply for the service.

Although paying in installments in the catering industry is convenient to many people, a snack restaurant owner surnamed Lin still said the "minimum sum of money for paying in installments could still be lower".

Lin's appeal has been taken into consideration by ICBC. The bank's branch manager Huang Long said: "After the policy has just been introduced, we will adjust the policy in accordance to market demands. If it is conducted successfully, we will lower the minimum amount and try to cover other industries."

Zhao Ping, the office director of Guangzhou Restaurant Group, is optimistic about the future of the divided payment at restaurants and believes it will result in the popularity of debit and credit cards. He also suggested the group's nine restaurants installing the special POS in the future.

However, the opinions vary among the customers. One customer surnamed Tan, a retiree, said he would feel embarrassed if he invited his friends for meal and paid in installments.

In contrast to Tan, a female customer surnamed Lu who works in a beauty salon supported the banking service and thought it would relieve customers of financial pressure to some degree.

A college student said he would adopt this new way of payment once he was financially independent.