Paying in China as a Tourist 2026: Alipay and WeChat Pay Setup

Set up Alipay before you fly

China is close to cashless: street food, taxis, temples and vending machines all take QR payments, and foreign cards now work inside the apps. Do the setup at home on good Wi-Fi, not in the arrivals hall.

• Download Alipay and register with your home phone number — no Chinese bank account needed.
• Link a Visa, Mastercard or JCB card; verify your passport in-app to raise payment limits.
• Set up WeChat Pay the same way as a backup — some small shops take only one of the two.

Fees and limits

Small payments are effectively free; larger ones carry a card surcharge.

• Payments under ¥200 are generally fee-free; above that expect a roughly 3% international card fee.
• Per-transaction and annual caps apply and change over time — the numbers shown inside the app are authoritative.

How you'll actually pay

• Scan the shop's QR code and type the amount, or show your payment code and let them scan you.
• Metro: use the Transport QR inside Alipay instead of buying single-ride tickets.
• Ride-hailing: DiDi works inside Alipay in English and charges your linked card automatically.

Cash and cards still matter a little

Cash is legal tender everywhere and worth carrying in small amounts — think ¥200–500 in small notes for markets, temple donations and rural areas. Physical foreign cards are rarely accepted in ordinary shops; ATMs at Bank of China and ICBC take foreign cards if you need topping up.

Before you go

City guides