The ten minutes that decide how your first day goes

For years the honest answer to "can I pay for things in China as a visitor" was no, not really, bring cash and good luck. That has genuinely changed, and it changed recently enough that a lot of advice online is still wrong.

Alipay and WeChat Pay both take major foreign cards now. Since the country runs on those two apps almost entirely, that one change turns China from awkward into easy.

Do this at home

Not because it is hard, but because of where it fails. Registration wants an SMS code. Verification wants a photograph of your passport and a minute of patience. Both are fine on your own wifi and both are miserable in an arrivals hall at eleven at night when you have discovered that your taxi wants an app you have not set up.

The step people skip

Identity verification. It is optional right up until it is not, and the moment it becomes mandatory is usually your first real payment, in a queue, with people behind you. Do it when you install the app.

Things that will still surprise you

• Your bank may block the first charge. An unfamiliar Chinese merchant on an unfamiliar processor is exactly what fraud systems are built to stop. Tell them you are traveling.
• Small transactions sometimes carry a fee. The threshold has moved around. Assume it exists and you will not be annoyed.
• A few merchants still only take domestic cards. Increasingly rare, and it will happen once.

Which one to lead with

Alipay, marginally. It handles foreign cards more smoothly and its own interface has better English. But install WeChat too, because WeChat is where the restaurant menus, the hospital appointments and the event groups actually live, and none of those care what you think about payment apps.

Carry a little cash anyway

It is close to useless in a city and genuinely useful in a small town, at a rural bus station, or on the one afternoon an app decides it does not know you.

Questions people ask

Can foreigners use Alipay in China?

Yes. Alipay accepts major foreign cards and supports passport-based identity verification for visitors.

Do I need a Chinese bank account?

No. A foreign Visa or Mastercard linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay covers almost everything a visitor needs.

Is Apple Pay useful in China?

Rarely. Contactless card terminals exist but are uncommon. QR payment through Alipay or WeChat is the norm.

More from the blog

• There are two QR codes and the gate only likes one of them
• Taobao does not have an English button, and it never will
• The internet is fast. It is just not your internet