How to Pay in China: Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cards and Cash

For travel in mainland China. Last updated: October 1, 2026.

For most people who live in China, WeChat Pay or Alipay is enough for everyday payments. For foreign visitors, cash still matters. Either app can fail to process a payment with an overseas bank card, even when the card itself is fine. Paying directly with an overseas credit card is also much less common in everyday settings.

My recommendation is to set up both WeChat Pay and Alipay for most purchases, and keep RMB 500–1,000 in cash with you as a backup.

And one more thing: Apple Pay may surprise you in China.

1. What should you use for everyday payments?

Alipay and WeChat Pay are widely used mobile payment apps in China. Foreign visitors can link eligible overseas credit or debit cards and use them at merchants that support these payments. Visa and Mastercard are common supported networks, but whether you can link a card or complete a particular payment also depends on your bank, the merchant and your account status. [2][3]

Payment method	Useful for	What to check first
Alipay	Payments at participating restaurants, shops and some online services	Whether your card can be linked and whether identity verification is required
WeChat Pay / Weixin Pay	Payments at participating merchants and within WeChat mini programs	Whether payments are enabled and your card is eligible for the purchase
Physical bank card	Paying at terminals that accept your card network	Whether the merchant accepts your particular card
RMB cash	In-person purchases and a backup when mobile payments fail	Carry some smaller-denomination notes

Use the app you already feel comfortable with as your main payment method. But if I had to choose just one, I would choose WeChat Pay.

2. What to prepare before your trip

Download the apps and try registering. Get Alipay and WeChat from your official app store and choose a language you understand. Do this before you need to pay for an airport taxi or a restaurant bill.

Keep a phone number that can receive verification codes. Both apps offer registration with an overseas phone number, so you generally do not need a Chinese number simply to set up payments. During your trip, make sure you can still receive verification messages or complete any checks required by your bank. Other services may have their own phone number requirements. [3][4]

My personal recommendation: get a Chinese SIM card if you plan to use services such as ride-hailing or food delivery. I strongly recommend it for making those parts of the trip easier.

Link a card in your own name and complete verification when prompted. Have your passport ready and follow the instructions in the app. Verification requirements can vary between accounts, and you may need to provide more information to access higher payment limits. Enter your name, passport details and card information exactly as the relevant fields require. [3][5]

Check your bank’s rules for overseas use. Confirm whether your card supports international purchases, online payments and ATM withdrawals, and whether your bank asks you to submit a travel notification. Successfully linking a card does not guarantee that every payment will work. Your bank may still impose limits or require additional verification. [5][6]

3. How do you pay by QR code?

There are two common ways:

You scan the merchant’s code. Open the app’s Scan feature, scan the merchant’s QR code, enter or check the amount, and confirm the payment. As a quick visual clue, green usually points to WeChat Pay and blue to Alipay.
The merchant scans your payment code. Open your payment code in the app and let the cashier scan it. Make sure you show the payment code. My rough rule of thumb is that when the merchant scans your code, both WeChat Pay and Alipay are accepted in about 90% of cases.

Check the merchant’s name and the amount before paying, then confirm that the transaction has succeeded.

One distinction matters: linking an overseas card for purchases does not mean you can send money to any individual. For example, Alipay’s overseas-card payment service explicitly excludes non-purchase uses such as transfers. If a personal collection code does not work, ask whether the merchant has a business payment method that supports overseas cards, or use another way to pay. [5]

This can come up in taxis. In many cities, drivers may ask you to pay using a personal collection code. If your overseas-card-funded wallet cannot pay that code, cash may be the option you need.

4. Are there fees for using a linked overseas card?

Separate the payment app’s service fee from any charges made by your bank.

Official guidance gives the following general rules for overseas-card payments through Alipay or WeChat Pay:

Amount of a single purchase	General platform service fee rule
RMB 200 or less	Usually no platform service fee
More than RMB 200	A 3% fee may apply to the full purchase amount, subject to the payment screen and any fee waivers

For example, if a RMB 300 purchase is subject to the 3% service fee, the fee is RMB 9 and the purchase plus that fee totals RMB 309. The fee is not calculated only on the amount above RMB 200. [1]

WeChat Pay has also announced a waiver for first-time users linking an overseas bank card: international-card processing fees are waived for 90 consecutive calendar days from the first transaction, on spending up to RMB 1,000 per day. Check the offer shown in your account for eligibility and how the allowance is calculated. [7]

Even if the app shows no service fee, your bank may still charge for an international transaction or currency conversion. Check your card’s fee schedule before travelling. [6]

If a card terminal or ATM asks whether to charge you in RMB or your card’s home currency, I generally recommend choosing RMB and checking the exchange rate and fees shown. Currency conversion offered by a merchant or ATM may include an extra markup. [8]

For a larger purchase, Apple Pay is worth trying if it is accepted. In my own payment records, purchases above RMB 200 have not attracted the 3% platform service fee described above. You should still check your bank’s own charges.

5. What should you do if a mobile payment fails?

First, check the transaction record to see whether the payment failed, is still processing, or has already succeeded. Avoid paying twice by mistake.

Once you have confirmed that payment has not gone through:

Read the error message. Check your connection, your card’s available limit, and whether the app or bank needs further verification.
Check the collection method. If scanning the code opens a personal transfer, ask whether the merchant has another way to accept a purchase payment.
Try another payment method. Use the other app or another card, or ask whether you can pay with a physical card or cash.
Contact the relevant support team. For a bank decline, contact your card issuer. For an app or account issue, use the app’s official customer support.

A note from my own experience: a payment problem does not necessarily mean something is wrong with your card. I have encountered situations where my phone showed a successful payment and my bank showed a charge, but the merchant could not confirm receiving the money. In every such case I have experienced, the money was eventually returned.

If this happens, do not keep submitting the payment. Check the transaction records with the merchant and save the transaction number and screenshots. If the status remains unclear, ask the payment platform or your bank to investigate. If you need to switch to cash, agree with the merchant on how the original transaction will be checked and handled.

This is why I recommend having a backup. It gives you another way to pay while the app or bank issue is being resolved.

6. Can you use an e-wallet you already have?

Sometimes you can. Some overseas e-wallets work at participating merchants in mainland China through cross-border payment partnerships. Examples include AlipayHK, Touch ‘n Go eWallet and TrueMoney. [4]

Apple Pay is a particular favourite of mine for online purchases. I use it with Hong Kong-issued bank cards on JD.com and Meituan, and the experience has been excellent. I have not had a payment fail on either platform. For those purchases, I actually prefer it to WeChat Pay.

Other wallets are not my first choice. For everyday payments at smaller physical merchants, I would still make WeChat Pay, Alipay and cash the main plan rather than rely on Apple Pay alone.

Your first task after landing: try a small payment

After you land, try buying something small at an airport outlet such as McDonald’s or Starbucks. It is a simple way to check that your payment setup actually works.

If you run into trouble, the airport is a useful place to look for currency exchange services and get your cash backup ready.

With your payment options prepared, you can spend more time enjoying the trip and less time figuring out how to settle the bill.

If you have a travel or payment question, feel free to get in touch. I will do my best to help, and general travel advice is free. Don’t be shy!