Cash is basically dead in China. Link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay and WeChat Pay before you fly, and you can pay almost everywhere by scanning a code.
1 Get both apps
- Alipay (Zhifubao) — the most widely accepted payment app in China. Best for shops, restaurants, transit and online bookings.
- WeChat Pay — built into WeChat, the messaging app everyone uses. Essential for social life, splitting bills, and many small independent shops.
Bottom line: install both. Some shops take only Alipay, others only WeChat Pay. With both, you won't get stuck.
2 Alipay
Alipay (Zhifubao, 支付宝) is China’s most widely accepted payment app — shops, restaurants, the subway, and ride-hailing all take it. Link a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover or Diners Club card and you can pay by scanning a QR code.
The setup guide below walks you through it: download the app, sign up with your international number, add your card under Me → Bank Cards, and — for higher spending limits — verify your passport under Me → Settings → Account & Security.
3 WeChat Pay
WeChat Pay lives inside WeChat, the messaging app nearly every Chinese person uses. It’s essential for splitting bills with friends, many small independent shops, and everyday social life. Link a Visa or Mastercard to get started.
Set it up with the guide below: open Me → Services → Wallet → Cards, add your card, and verify with your passport when prompted. Do it before you land — setup from inside China is much harder.
4 Set up step by step
Two mini-guides walk you through each app. The left side explains every step; the right side shows what the screen looks like. Run through both at home, not after you land.
Alipay
WeChat Pay
Critical: Link your card before you board the plane. From inside China the card processors are often blocked, so setup is much harder or impossible. You'll use Alipay and WeChat to pay for Didi, trains, hotels and shops — get them ready now.
5 Payment Method Comparison
| Method | What you need | Best for | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alipay (foreign card) | App + passport verify + Visa/Mastercard/JCB | Most daily payments | ~3% FX fee, per-tx cap |
| WeChat Pay (foreign card) | App + passport verify + card | P2P, small shops | Slower foreign-card support |
| Cash (RMB) | ATM withdrawal on arrival | Backup only | Many places scan-to-pay only |
| Physical foreign card | Visa / Mastercard | Hotels, malls, some ATMs | Not taken by small vendors |
6 Troubleshooting & FAQ
Setup usually goes smoothly, but foreign cards throw a handful of specific errors. These are the ones travelers hit most often, with the fix for each.
Card won't bind ("bank card not supported"). Some issuers are rejected outright, especially prepaid or certain debit cards. Try a different Visa or Mastercard, make sure it's active for online and international purchases, and confirm with your bank that overseas e-commerce is enabled. Use Alipay's foreign-card binding flow rather than a local Chinese account.
No SMS verification code arrives. The one-time code is sent to the phone number on your bank record. On Wi-Fi calling or with roaming off, it may never land — switch on SMS roaming or use a China eSIM so the number can receive texts. Double-check you entered the number with the correct country code.
Payment declined at checkout. Usually a spending limit or a risk check, not a dead card. Lower the amount and retry, check you have available credit, and try WeChat Pay as a fallback — some merchants clear one app but not the other. If it keeps failing, the merchant's code may map to a restricted category.
Foreign-card spending limit feels too low. Alipay caps how much you can spend on a linked foreign card. Open Me → Settings → Account & Security → Identity Verification, upload your passport and do the face scan to raise it. Limits move, so check the current cap in the app before a big purchase.
App says "risk control" or freezes the account. Complete identity verification first (passport + face scan). If it stays locked, use the in-app help center — there's an English support path — and keep your passport nearby.
Still stuck? The most common root cause is setting everything up from inside China, where card processors are often blocked. Do all binding and verification before you fly (step 4 above), and you'll dodge almost every problem on this list.
Common questions
Which app should I set up first? Alipay — it has the smoothest foreign-card flow and covers most payments, including Taobao and Didi.
Why was my payment declined? Usually a spending limit or a risk check. Lower the amount, verify your passport in-app to raise limits, or try WeChat Pay as a fallback.
Do I still need cash? Carry a small amount (a few hundred RMB) as backup. Most places take scan-to-pay, but some temples, markets, and rural stops are cash-only.
Can I use Apple Pay or Google Pay? They work only where the terminal supports your foreign card; scan-to-pay via Alipay or WeChat is far more widely accepted.
What if I lose my phone? Your payment apps are tied to the app login, not the SIM. Reinstall on a new device and re-verify; keep your passport handy and report a lost card to the issuer at once.