China skipped cards and went straight from cash to QR codes. Alipay and WeChat Pay are not a convenience there — they are the default, and a visitor without one is constantly the awkward person at the counter.
Setting it up#
Download Alipay before you arrive, while the app stores and verification SMS still reach you easily. Register with your normal phone number, switch the interface to English in the settings, then complete real-name verification by photographing your passport. Bind your Visa or Mastercard under the payment settings.
Do all of this at home. Verification occasionally needs a second attempt, and sorting that out in an airport arrivals hall on patchy wifi is a bad start.
What actually works#
Paying merchants works essentially everywhere: restaurants, convenience shops, market stalls, metro gates, taxis, vending machines. You either scan the merchant's QR code or show them yours.
Alipay also carries mini-programs that replace separate apps — DiDi for taxis, metro passes for most large cities, and train and attraction bookings — many of which now have English versions inside the app. What a mini-programme actually is, and how you find one is worth five minutes before you travel, because it is the mechanism behind almost every booking in China.
Fees, honestly#
Alipay charges 3% on any single transaction above ¥200, and nothing at or below it. WeChat Pay applies the same rule. Three details are worth knowing:
- The 3% is charged on the whole transaction, not just the amount above ¥200. A ¥210 payment costs ¥6.30, not thirty fen.
- It is assessed per transaction, so a large bill split across two payments can fall on the cheap side of the line twice.
- A UnionPay card avoids the fee altogether, if you happen to hold one.
Most everyday spending — meals, metro fares, entry tickets, taxis — sits under ¥200 and costs you nothing. Hotels and long-distance train tickets do not.
Your own bank's foreign-transaction fee applies on top of all of this. And Alipay has changed both the rate and the threshold more than once, so confirm the current terms in the app before assuming any published figure, this one included.
Do you need WeChat Pay too#
One is enough for paying. Set up Alipay first: its English support is better and its foreign-card handling has been more reliable. Install WeChat anyway, because it is how people will expect to contact you, but you do not need to make its payment side work.
Keep some cash regardless. Cash remains legal tender and vendors must accept it, though in practice you will use it rarely.
For the full picture on cards, ATMs, currency and what to do when a payment is declined, read the guide to money and payments in China.