In the Alipay app, disable location permissions, then change the region in the top-left corner to Hong Kong, China. No VPN needed!!
Then tap „Overseas Spending Discount“—the first three overseas payments each get an ¥8.8 discount.
[upvote]It’s confirmed to work for topping up a VMISS balance. DMIT doesn’t work; test other uses yourself. If an ¥8.8 discount appears after scanning the QR code, before payment, it worked.
To top up a VMISS balance, make three separate ¥2 CAD payments, for a total cost of ¥1.77 to add 6 CAD.