Paying in China: Alipay and WeChat Pay for tourists, step by step
China runs on the phone. Here is how to set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with your home card before you land.
China is (almost) a cashless country
In China you pay by scanning QR codes with your phone: in the taxi, at the fruit stall, at the temple and even to the street musician. Cash is still legal and shops must accept it, but in practice it is awkward: many stalls have no change and vending machines simply ignore it. Physical cards only work reliably in international hotels and big malls. The good news: for a few years now Alipay and WeChat Pay have accepted foreign cards, and setting them up is easier than it sounds.
Alipay with your international card
Download Alipay (the international version is in your usual app store), register with your home phone number and add your Visa, Mastercard or Amex under "Bank Cards". For higher limits it will ask you to verify your identity with a photo of your passport: do it, it takes minutes and saves trouble later. Small everyday payments usually carry no fee; larger amounts take a small percentage, so for big purchases the physical card at the hotel may be worth it. You pay in two ways: scanning the shop's QR yourself, or showing your own code so they scan you.
WeChat Pay: the other essential
WeChat is China's social operating system: messaging, bookings, restaurant mini programs… and its own payment. The process is identical: add your international card in "Wallet" and verify your identity with your passport. Why have both apps? Because in real life some places only display the QR of one of them. With Alipay and WeChat Pay set up you cover practically one hundred percent of the country's shops.
Set it up BEFORE you fly
This is the tip that saves the most grief: do everything from home, with your WiFi and your bank at hand. Identity verification can take a while, your bank may ask you to confirm by SMS or in its app, and some banks reject the setup until you tell them "yes, it is me". Add at least two different cards in case one fails at the till, keep a photo of your passport on your phone and note down your bank's phone number. Landing with payments already working changes the whole trip.
Everyday tricks
Inside Alipay lives Didi, the "Chinese Uber": you order the car in English, the destination is written down and payment happens by itself — no more explaining addresses in Chinese. In many cities the metro QR also lives inside Alipay or WeChat (look for the city's transport mini program). Tipping does not exist: leave nothing, nobody expects it. And a wallet note: charges arrive in yuan and your bank converts, so a card with no foreign exchange fees saves you a nice chunk over the whole trip.
Plan B: cash and ATMs
Carry some cash for the first day, rural areas or that one stall that only takes notes. ATMs of the big banks (Bank of China, ICBC) accept foreign cards and have an English menu; withdraw medium amounts and ask for small notes if you can, because ¥100 bills are sometimes hard to place at street stalls. With both apps set up and a cash cushion, paying in China stops being a mystery. For last-minute questions, the Flamaz AI chat answers in Spanish, Chinese and English.
