Before You Go · Practical Guide
How to Pay in China
Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards and cash — a practical guide for your first trip.
A little preparation makes everyday payments much easier. Set up a supported mobile wallet before you travel, bring a physical bank card and keep some renminbi cash as a backup.
The essentials, at a glance
- Prepare your mobile wallet. Link an eligible overseas card and complete the checks requested in the app.
- Keep a backup. A physical card and small RMB notes give you other ways to pay.
- Check the final cost. App fees, promotional waivers and your bank’s charges are separate things.
On this page
Choose your payment methods
Use a combination that works for you. Acceptance depends on the business, the payment service and your card.
| Method | Useful for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Alipay / WeChat Pay | Everyday merchant payments | Eligible cards and available features vary by app. |
| Physical card | Businesses accepting your card network | Look for card logos and check before paying. |
| RMB cash | A backup when phone or card payment is unavailable | Keep some smaller notes for convenient payments. |
Set up before you travel
Start with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Follow the current prompts in your chosen app; screens and verification requirements can change.
Install the official app
Download Alipay or WeChat from your phone’s app store. WeChat Pay is accessed within WeChat.
Register with a phone number you can access
Select the appropriate country code and keep access to verification messages while travelling.
Complete the requested checks
Use your own details and provide your passport or other accepted document if the app requests identity verification.
Link an eligible bank card
Open the app’s bank-card section, add your card and complete any verification requested by your bank.
Two ways to pay at a shop
Scan the merchant’s code
Open Scan, scan the merchant’s QR code, enter the amount if needed and check the recipient and total before confirming.
Show your payment code
Open the payment-code screen and let the cashier scan it. Check the payment result in your app before leaving.
Fees & exchange rates
Check both the payment app and your card issuer. A wallet’s service fee is separate from any foreign-transaction or currency-conversion charge applied by your bank.
Read the total and any fee shown before confirming. Promotional waivers can depend on your account, when you first linked a card and how much you spend.
Cards, cash & ATMs
Keep your physical card available for businesses that accept its network. For cash, use an ATM displaying a compatible card-network logo, or a bank or authorised currency-exchange provider.
Check any withdrawal or conversion charges and your bank’s limits. Carrying a modest amount of RMB in small notes can help when a digital payment is unavailable.
If a payment fails
Before trying again, check the payment status in your app and ask the merchant to check their records. If the payment is successful or still processing, confirm what happened before paying again.
My card is linked, but this payment is not supported
A linked card does not work for every transaction. If the screen asks for a personal transfer, ask for the shop’s merchant payment QR code instead. Overseas cards linked to Alipay cannot fund person-to-person transfers.
If the shop has a scanner, ask whether they can scan your payment code. This is another checkout option, but it does not override card restrictions. If the app still says the transaction is unsupported, use another payment method.
My bank declined the payment
Check your banking app for an approval request, a frozen card, available funds or credit, and any overseas or online-payment restrictions.
If the decline continues, contact your card issuer through its official app or support number. Give them the time, amount and payment app used. Ask for the decline reason and whether you can retry. A different card may help if the problem is specific to your issuer.
I cannot receive a code or finish verification
Check which phone number the verification screen is using—it may be the number registered with your bank rather than your payment app. Make sure that SIM is enabled and can receive texts in China.
Complete any requested identity checks inside the official app. For bank authentication problems, contact your issuer; for account or passport-verification problems, use the payment app’s Help or Customer Service. Never share verification codes or payment passwords.
The screen is stuck or shows a connection error
Switch to a working mobile-data or Wi-Fi connection, then reopen the app and check the transaction history before retrying.
If the message mentions a payment limit or security restriction, follow the app’s instructions or contact its support. Repeated attempts or splitting the bill are not a reliable fix.
My bank shows a charge, but the shop says it was not paid
Compare the app’s payment status with the merchant’s records. Ask your bank whether its entry is pending or completed.
Keep the order number, amount, time and receipt. Use the transaction’s Help option to contact the payment app. If two completed charges remain, ask the merchant or payment provider to investigate; contact your issuer if unresolved. Do not promise a fixed refund time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Chinese bank account?
Alipay supports linking eligible international bank cards for merchant payments without a mainland Chinese bank account. Check the app’s current eligibility requirements for your own card.
Do I need a Chinese phone number?
Alipay supports overseas mobile numbers. Use a number you can access for verification messages and follow the registration requirements shown in your chosen payment app.
Does a wallet fee waiver cover my bank’s charges?
Do not assume so. A payment-app promotion and your card issuer’s foreign-transaction or currency-conversion charges have separate terms.
Sources & editorial notes
Source pages consulted on 23 October 2026. This guide covers mainland China. Payment eligibility and costs depend on the product, account and issuer; follow the current in-app terms.
- Official guide to working and living in China, 2025 edition — mobile registration, card binding and product-specific requirements.
- China’s government portal: payment services for overseas visitors — cards, cash, ATMs and mobile payments.
- Ant International: payment options for international visitors — linking overseas cards without a mainland bank account or phone number.
- Tencent: international visitor payment update, 27 May 2026 — dated fee-waiver announcement.
- How to Use Mobile Payment — 2026 official guide — Hunan Provincial Government, citing the Ministry of Commerce: overseas-card verification, product-specific limits, and the two QR-code payment methods.
- Payment Service Guide for Overseas Users in Shenzhen — People’s Bank of China Shenzhen Branch, via Nanshan District: overseas cards linked to Alipay do not support person-to-person transfers.
- Visa Consumer Support: declined payments and transaction disputes — Visa: contact the issuing bank for a specific decline reason, bank authentication problems, or a disputed charge.
Sources by section and question
- Choose your payment methods — Source 2
- Set up before you travel — Source 1, Source 3
- Two ways to pay at a shop — Source 1
- Fees & exchange rates — Source 1, Source 4
- Cards, cash & ATMs — Source 1, Source 2
- If a payment fails — Source 5, Source 6, Source 7
- Do I need a Chinese bank account? — Source 1, Source 3
- Do I need a Chinese phone number? — Source 1, Source 3
Adapted and reorganised from China Travel Notes’ earlier Money & Payments guide. Account-specific promotions should be checked again before travel.
Payment troubleshooting steps are CTN practical guidance, rather than quotations from the linked sources. Those sources support the stated payment restrictions, verification routes and issuer support; account-specific decisions remain with the app, merchant and card issuer.