China Arrive

How to pay in China as a foreigner

Draft: not yet verified in the live app. Fees, limits, and menus change—confirm on the in-app payment screen and in the provider’s official Help.Verification status: DRAFT — verify in the live app before publish

A customer's hand holds a smartphone toward a handheld scanner, while a clerk in a yellow sleeve points the scanner at the phone.
A clerk scans a customer's phone at a shop counter. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph.AI-generated illustration created for China Arrive. Not a photograph. Resized to a 2000-pixel long edge. No GPS was present. The Chinese AIGC implicit identifier was kept (Label 1, ContentProducer 001191110000802100433B10005, ProduceID 1338239458938009751).

In mainland China, day-to-day spending is built around mobile wallets. Visitors can often link an eligible foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay and pay by QR code. You should still carry a little cash and know what your physical card can do at hotel desks or ticket counters.

This page is your map. The Alipay field report — International version, home-country number, passport selfie, foreign card, the two pay gestures, and the ¥200 fee — is Alipay for visitors. The WeChat Pay walkthrough — download, English, Wallet, passport, card, and QR — is Set up WeChat Pay.

The four payment paths

1. Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card (most useful)

Alipay and WeChat Pay both link Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, Diners Club, and international UnionPay (credit or debit, issued outside mainland China). Prepaid cards and most virtual cards do not work. American Express is reported as slightly less reliable on WeChat. Any country’s phone number can register if it receives an SMS code — a +86 number is not required. The old Alipay Tour Pass workaround is retired. Payments settle from the linked card.

Alipay flow: install Alipay → Me → Settings → Version Switch → International → sign up with your home-country number and a 6-digit payment password → Me → Settings → Account & Security → Identity Verification (passport plus a live selfie) → Me → Bank Cards → Add Card → International Card → test Scan before you land. You scan the merchant, or they scan you. Do not screenshot your payment code.

WeChat flow: install WeChat and set English if the app opens in Chinese → sign up with your home-country number → Me → Pay and Services (also labelled Services) → Wallet → passport real-name check → add the card → scan the merchant QR, or show your own code under Money (收付款). Do not screenshot that personal code or let a stranger scan it.

Start here:

Official overview of foreign cards for mobile payment: China Daily government services page.
WeChat’s own international-card FAQ: WeChat Help.

2. Physical foreign cards at POS

Some hotels, department stores, and transit desks take foreign chip cards. Smaller restaurants and street stalls often do not. Do not assume every terminal that shows UnionPay will accept your home-country card brand.

3. Cash (RMB)

ATMs and bank counters can dispense cash if your card allows overseas withdrawals. Carry about ¥500–1,500 in small notes for temples, market stalls, rural stops, taxis that still want cash, or a dead battery — including the first hours before a wallet works. The Alipay field report’s floor for a dead phone is ¥300–500; the larger buffer still covers that.

4. Other home-country wallets (limited)

Some outbound wallets partner for “scan to pay” in limited scenarios. Coverage is uneven. Treat Alipay / WeChat Pay as your primary plan unless your bank has documented China acceptance.

Fees you should know (confirm in-app)

WeChat Pay, international card — confirm in Wallet → Help Center; promotions change (WeChat Help):

  • Free for a transaction of ¥200 or less
  • 3% of the full amount when the transaction is above ¥200 (not 3% of only the part over ¥200)
  • If the payment is refunded, that fee is refunded proportionally
  • Your card issuer may add a foreign-exchange fee. The exchange rate is set by the card network and the issuing bank, not by WeChat
  • First-time card linkers: a promotional waiver, recently 60–90 days and up to ¥1,000 a day. Read the Wallet banner after linking. WeChat fee waiver

Alipay uses the same line: free at ¥200 or below, and 3% of the full amount above it (not 3% of only the part over ¥200). A ¥210 payment is ¥6.30. Alipay’s fee waivers are occasional campaigns, not WeChat’s first-link waiver. Confirm under Me → Bank Cards. Alipay fee guide.

Limits

WeChat Pay international cards (confirm in Wallet → Help Center; some government English pages print different RMB or USD figures, including about US$5,000 single and US$50,000 annual on the China Daily page):

  • ¥6,500 per transaction
  • ¥50,000 per month
  • ¥65,000 per year

What that card can do: pay merchants, scan to pay, ride codes, mini programs, and other in-app payments (DiDi, metro and bus ride codes, restaurant table QR, Meituan, 12306 / Trip.com).

What it cannot do: red packets (hongbao), person-to-person transfers, wallet top-up, and withdrawal to a bank.

Alipay international cards (confirm under Me → Bank Cards → Limits; public pages also quote US$5,000, ¥50,000, and about ¥35,000, and those are not the same ceiling):

  • About ¥35,000 per payment after passport and selfie
  • About ¥5,000 per payment if you skip verification
  • Published annual ceilings for verified accounts around US$50,000, shared across Alipay accounts on the same passport
  • The practical reason to verify is train tickets and some hotel bookings

Alipay cannot do person-to-person transfers, red packets, balance top-up from a foreign card, or a cash advance. Government services and hospital booking are blocked on a foreign-card account because they need a Chinese ID. Detail: Alipay limits.

Suggested order before you fly

  1. Install Alipay and WeChat on reliable home Wi‑Fi
  2. Complete real-name / passport steps
  3. Bind a card your bank allows for overseas e-commerce
  4. Keep your SMS-capable number working (home roaming or later a local SIM)
  5. Optional: add a second card as backup

Use the pre-trip checklist.

Where mobile pay shows up next

After WeChat Pay works, the same card pays for DiDi, metro and bus ride codes, a table QR in a restaurant, Meituan delivery, and train tickets in 12306 or Trip.com. Mini programs inside WeChat do not have a separate password. Street shared bikes also expect a working wallet. Fix payment first if unlock or ride-hail fails.

When payment fails

FAQ

Do merchants take Apple Pay / Google Pay directly?
Most small QR stickers expect Alipay or WeChat Pay. Do not count on Apple Pay alone for street food.

Should I open a Chinese bank account?
Short-term visitors usually rely on foreign cards in wallets. Local accounts have separate ID rules—out of scope for this page.

Is China Arrive affiliated with Alipay or WeChat?
No. See our footer disclaimer and About.