How to pay in China as a foreigner: Alipay, WeChat Pay and cards
Most shops in China expect you to pay by phone. Here is how visitors set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, which home e-wallets work, what it costs, and what to do when a payment fails.
In short: Scan to pay for small things, tap a card for big ones, and keep some cash as backup.
Last checked: 1 November 2026
Open the payment guide in GoHaode (works offline) →🧳 Before you fly
- Install Alipay and WeChat at home. Both accept a foreign phone number.
- Add a Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Diners, Discover or UnionPay card in each app.
- Tell your bank you are going to China and turn on online and overseas payments.
- Make sure you can receive your bank’s security texts or app approvals while abroad.
- Do one small test payment, then bring a second card and some cash.
🔵 Alipay
- Sign up with your phone number, then go to Me › Bank cards › Add card.
- Verify your identity with your passport when asked. It unlocks higher limits.
- To pay: tap Pay to show your code to the cashier, or Scan to scan the shop’s QR code.
Show-card
请扫我的付款码。
Qǐng sǎo wǒ de fùkuǎnmǎ.
Please scan my payment code. · Chinese show-cards for paying
🟢 WeChat Pay
- Sign up for WeChat. Some new accounts are asked for a check by an existing WeChat user.
- Go to Me › Services › Wallet › Cards and add your card.
- Pay the same way: show your Pay code, or scan the shop’s QR code.
📲 Pay with your home e-wallet
No Alipay or WeChat? Some wallets from home already work in China.
- Alipay+ wallets: where the till shows the Alipay+ logo, pay with your home e-wallet. No extra set-up, and Alipay+ adds no fee.
- Weixin Pay merchants accept over 60 overseas wallets from 16 countries and regions, such as PayPal (US accounts), ShopeePay and Samsung Wallet (Korea).
- TenPayGo, Tencent’s app for visitors, pays at Weixin Pay merchants with a foreign card, Apple Pay or a supported wallet. No Chinese number or WeChat account is needed.
- Before you fly, check in your wallet app that China payments are on; your wallet may set its own limits.
🧾 Fees and limits
- Foreign-card payments of 200 yuan or less are free. Above 200 yuan, a 3% fee applies to the whole amount.
- Limits: up to US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year per person.
- Refunds return the fee in proportion. Your own bank may add a foreign-transaction fee.
- Tip: for a big bill, tapping your card on the shop’s POS usually avoids the 3% app fee.
💳 Paying by card
- Hotels of 3 stars and up, top-rated (4A/5A) attractions and resorts must accept foreign cards.
- Big malls, airports and chain stores in large cities mostly do. Small shops and street food mostly don’t.
- Metro gates in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen take contactless Visa and Mastercard.
Show-card
可以刷外国银行卡吗？
Kěyǐ shuā wàiguó yínhángkǎ ma?
Can I pay with a foreign bank card? · Chinese show-cards for paying
💴 Cash
- Shops must not refuse yuan in cash. Small notes (10, 20, 50) are easiest; change can be short of coins.
- Exchange at bank counters (with your passport) or airport exchange desks. Airport counters and banks also hand out “change wallets” of small notes in some cities.
- Keep 300–500 yuan on you in case your phone or card fails.
🌏 Cards from Russia or Thailand
- Russia: Visa and Mastercard issued in Russia do not work abroad, Mir is not accepted in China, and Russian-issued UnionPay cards are often declined. Bring enough cash to exchange, plus a card issued outside Russia if you have one.
- Thailand: cards from Thai banks (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay) work like any foreign card in Alipay and WeChat. A Thai-issued UnionPay card is also widely accepted at shop terminals and ATMs.
🏧 ATMs
- Look for ATMs of big banks (Bank of China, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank) with Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay logos.
- Beijing has over 11,000 ATMs that take foreign cards; Shenzhen over 3,600.
- Choose to be charged in yuan, not your home currency, for a better rate.
- Use ATMs inside bank branches during opening hours, so staff can help if the card is kept.
Show-card
附近哪里有银行或取款机？
Fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu yínháng huò qǔkuǎnjī?
Where is a bank or ATM nearby? · Chinese show-cards for paying
🛍️ Tax refund
- Spend 200 yuan or more in one tax-free store on the same day to qualify.
- Many stores refund on the spot (“instant refund”); you then leave China within 28 days with the goods.
- Keep the receipts and goods unused; customs may check them at the airport.
🛠️ When a payment doesn’t work
My card won’t add to Alipay or WeChat
- Enter your name exactly as on the card and passport.
- Your bank may be blocking it as fraud: approve it in your bank app, or call the bank.
- Turn on online and overseas payments for the card.
- Try a different card, ideally from another card brand.
The payment was declined at the till
- Check for a security text or app approval from your bank, and approve it.
- Complete identity checks in the app if it asks; unverified accounts have low limits.
- Switch to the other app, tap your card on the POS, or pay cash.
The shop’s QR code doesn’t accept me
- Some small sellers’ personal QR codes can’t take foreign cards. Ask them to scan your Pay code instead.
- If that fails too, pay cash.
No signal, flat battery or the app logged me out
- Pay cash, or tap a physical card where there is a POS.
- Keep a power bank. Many shops and restaurants rent one by scanning a QR code.
- Ask the shop for Wi-Fi: “Do you have Wi-Fi?”
Questions visitors ask
Can foreigners use Alipay with a foreign card?
Install Alipay and WeChat at home. Both accept a foreign phone number. Add a Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Diners, Discover or UnionPay card in each app. Sign up with your phone number, then go to Me › Bank cards › Add card. Verify your identity with your passport when asked. It unlocks higher limits. To pay: tap Pay to show your code to the cashier, or Scan to scan the shop’s QR code.
Can tourists use WeChat Pay?
Sign up for WeChat. Some new accounts are asked for a check by an existing WeChat user. Go to Me › Services › Wallet › Cards and add your card. Pay the same way: show your Pay code, or scan the shop’s QR code.
Can I pay in China without Alipay or WeChat?
No Alipay or WeChat? Some wallets from home already work in China. Alipay+ wallets: where the till shows the Alipay+ logo, pay with your home e-wallet. No extra set-up, and Alipay+ adds no fee. Weixin Pay merchants accept over 60 overseas wallets from 16 countries and regions, such as PayPal (US accounts), ShopeePay and Samsung Wallet (Korea). TenPayGo, Tencent’s app for visitors, pays at Weixin Pay merchants with a foreign card, Apple Pay or a supported wallet. No Chinese number or WeChat account is needed. Before you fly, check in your wallet app that China payments are on; your wallet may set its own limits.
What fees do foreigners pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay?
Foreign-card payments of 200 yuan or less are free. Above 200 yuan, a 3% fee applies to the whole amount. Limits: up to US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year per person. Refunds return the fee in proportion. Your own bank may add a foreign-transaction fee. Tip: for a big bill, tapping your card on the shop’s POS usually avoids the 3% app fee.
Do I still need cash in China?
Shops must not refuse yuan in cash. Small notes (10, 20, 50) are easiest; change can be short of coins. Exchange at bank counters (with your passport) or airport exchange desks. Airport counters and banks also hand out “change wallets” of small notes in some cities. Keep 300–500 yuan on you in case your phone or card fails.
What if my card won’t add to Alipay or WeChat?
Enter your name exactly as on the card and passport. Your bank may be blocking it as fraud: approve it in your bank app, or call the bank. Turn on online and overseas payments for the card. Try a different card, ideally from another card brand.
Open the payment guide in GoHaode (works offline) →Fees, limits and wallet support can change. Check your bank and wallet app before you travel.
Official and primary sources
- People’s Bank of China via Beijing FAO · 2024-03-01
- China Services Info · 2025-02-25
- Shanghai Municipal Government · 2025-02-28
- People’s Daily / Xinhua · 2024-04-12
- NDRC · 2025-09-09
- SAFE Shenzhen · 2026-08-27
- China Daily · 2026-05-19
- gov.cn / Xinhua · 2025-04-27
- Alipay+ (Ant International)
- TenPay Global (Tencent) · 2026-10-27
- PayPal Newsroom · 2026-08-11
- Tencent (TenPayGo)
Last checked: 1 November 2026
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