On this page
Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay before you fly
QR code payments run daily life in China, from noodle shops to taxis. Both big apps now take foreign cards, but the setup involves SMS codes and bank approvals that are far easier to sort out from home. Give yourself a week.
- Download both apps from your home app store. Search for "Alipay" and "WeChat". Android users should do this before departure, because Google Play depends on Google services that are blocked on Chinese networks.
- Sign up with your home mobile number. Both apps accept foreign numbers and send verification codes by SMS, so make sure that number can still receive texts in China. Our eSIM and apps guide explains how to keep it active.
- Pick the International Version in Alipay. Alipay offers it to overseas users after sign-up. It is tailored to visitors and adds translation and currency conversion.
- Add your card. WeChat Pay lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Discover, plus UnionPay cards issued outside the mainland. Alipay takes the same brands; it added American Express in February 2025, but Amex cards issued by partner banks outside mainland China are not eligible.
- Verify your passport. WeChat Pay reviews passport photos by hand, which takes about one working day. Alipay lets you pay a limited amount before asking for your passport. Doing it at home means your first big payment won't stall.
- Warn your bank. The card issuer has to approve the link, and some banks' systems reject it. Ask your bank to allow overseas online payments and small pre-authorization holds; WeChat says the test hold it places is reversed within 30 days.
Visitors with an Asian home wallet have a shortcut. Alipay+ partner apps such as AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, GCash, TrueMoney and Changi Pay pay at Alipay merchants directly, and Alipay+ adds no fee of its own. Since May 2026, US-based PayPal users can also scan WeChat Pay merchant codes from the PayPal app, according to Tencent.
Fees and spending limits (as of October 2026)
The fee rule is the same in Alipay and WeChat Pay when you pay with a linked foreign card:
| Single payment | Platform fee | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ¥200 (about $30) or less | None | A ¥150 dinner costs ¥150 |
| Over ¥200 | 3% of the whole amount | A ¥500 bill costs ¥515 (about $77) |
The fee appears on the payment screen before you confirm. Your bank may add its own foreign transaction fee, so a card without one saves money on a long trip. WeChat has an extra break: Tencent announced in May 2026 that first-time users who link an international card pay no processing fee for 90 days from their first payment, on up to ¥1,000 (about $150) a day.
Limits depend on whether you have verified your passport. China's central bank set the ceiling for foreign visitors at US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year. WeChat Pay's own manual, updated June 2026, gives these figures:
| WeChat Pay with a foreign card | Per payment | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Before passport verification | ¥3,000 (about $450) | ¥15,000 (about $2,250) |
| After passport verification | Up to ¥35,000 (about $5,250), also per day | Up to ¥350,000 (about $52,500) |
Alipay works the same way in principle: a small allowance without ID, then the full ceiling after passport verification. WeChat also adjusts limits for risk, so check the payment screen before a large purchase.
Card declined and other common problems
Many failures start at your bank rather than in the app. These fixes cover the usual cases:
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Card rejected when you add it | Your bank blocked the link or the small test hold | Approve any alert in your banking app or call the bank, then try again |
| Payments suddenly declined | A fraud check by your bank, or a limit reached | Check your banking app, verify your passport in the app, or switch cards |
| Passport check rejected | Name or photo mismatch | Enter your name exactly as printed in the passport, middle names included, and retake the photo in good light |
| Card renewed with a new expiry date | The app still holds the old details | Remove the card and add it again |
| A street stall's code won't take your card | Some vendors use personal rather than merchant codes | Ask them to scan your payment code instead, or pay cash |
WeChat Pay is run by Tenpay, a Tencent company. Telling your bank to expect charges from Alipay and Tenpay before you travel heads off many fraud blocks.
Paying with a foreign card directly
Chinese rules require hotels rated three stars and up, 4A and 5A attractions and national tourist resorts to accept overseas bank cards. Elsewhere, a shop accepts your card if the network's logo is at the till. Many small restaurants and shops take only QR payments and cash, so plan on the apps there.
Transit is easier than it used to be. Beijing's subway has taken contactless Visa and Mastercard at every station gate since September 2024, at local fares, and Shanghai Metro has taken Visa contactless cards on all 21 lines since June 28, 2025. Beijing's park ticket windows, including the Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace, take cash and foreign Visa or Mastercard cards.
Cash: still legal and still useful
Renminbi notes and coins are legal tender, and the central bank has barred businesses from refusing cash since 2018. Tighter rules took effect on February 1, 2026: staffed shops, restaurants and attractions must accept cash and keep change on hand, and complaints go to the local central bank branch. A street vendor may still struggle to change a ¥100 note, so carry some ¥10, ¥20 and ¥50 notes too.
Bank of China ATMs accept foreign UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards around the clock, with a limit of ¥3,000 (about $450) per withdrawal. Your own bank sets the daily limit and fees. Other banks' ATMs work if they show your card network's logo, and bank branches with exchange signs change foreign currency. We suggest keeping ¥300-500 (about $45-75) on you as a backup.
Tipping in China
Tipping is not customary in restaurants, cafes or taxis, and staff don't expect it. Tour guides and drivers accept tips, as do hotels used to foreign guests, but a tip is a thank-you rather than an obligation.
Tax refunds for tourists (2025-26 rules)
Shoppers can reclaim part of the VAT on goods they take home. As of October 2026 the rules are:
- Who qualifies: foreigners who have stayed in China no more than 183 consecutive days.
- Minimum spend: ¥200 (about $30) at one tax refund store on one day, cut from ¥500 in April 2025.
- How much: 11% of the price on goods taxed at 13%, 8% on goods taxed at 9%, minus an agency fee of 2% of the price. On a ¥2,000 purchase that is ¥220 minus ¥40, so ¥180 (about $27) back.
- Standard refund: leave China within 90 days of purchase and claim at the departure port. Refunds up to ¥20,000 (about $3,000) can be paid in cash; larger ones go by bank transfer.
- Instant refund: participating stores pay the refund at the till after you sign an agreement and allow a credit card pre-authorization. You must then leave within 28 days, and under the 2026 measures you can complete the process at a departure port in another province.
- Paperwork: from July 1, 2026, customs and refund agents check forms and invoices online, and claims under ¥10,000 (about $1,500) are only spot-checked.
Goods must leave China unused, and customs may ask to see them before you check your bags.
What to do if your phone dies
Your phone holds your money, maps and tickets, so give it a backup plan. Carry a physical card and some cash in a separate pocket. Write your hotel's name and address in Chinese on a card from the front desk, so a taxi driver can read it.
Bring a power bank, but check it first if you will fly within China. Since June 28, 2025, power banks without a clear CCC (3C) safety mark are banned on domestic flights, so an unmarked one would have to stay behind at airport security.
If you'd rather have a licensed local agency book hotels, trains and guides in advance, so fewer payments run through your phone, tell us your dates. For a full budget, see what a China trip costs.
Questions people ask
Can foreigners use Alipay without a Chinese bank account?
Yes. Download Alipay, choose the International Version when asked, and link a card issued outside China, such as Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, Diners Club or American Express. You need a phone number that can receive SMS codes, and your passport for the higher limits.
How much is the Alipay fee for foreign cards?
As of October 2026, Alipay and WeChat Pay charge nothing on a single payment of ¥200 or less and 3% of the whole amount above that, so a ¥500 bill costs ¥515. Your own bank may add a foreign transaction fee on top.
Do I need cash in China?
You can get through most days without it, but carry a few hundred yuan. Cash is legal tender, rules in force since February 1, 2026 tell businesses not to refuse it, and it gets you home when a phone or card fails.
Do I need both Alipay and WeChat Pay?
Alipay alone covers most shops, taxis and metro rides. Adding WeChat Pay gives you a second option if one app or card is blocked, and WeChat is China's main messaging app, handy for keeping in touch with hotels and guides.
Should I tip in China?
No. Tipping is not customary in restaurants or taxis. Tour guides and drivers, and hotels used to foreign guests, accept tips, but they are optional.
How does the tax refund for tourists work?
Spend at least ¥200 in one tax refund store on one day and claim the refund when you leave China within 90 days, or take an instant refund in the store and leave within 28 days. On most goods you get back about 9% of the price after the 2% agency fee.
Sources
We checked these in October 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm on the official sites before you book.
- WeChat Pay user manual: bank cards (official, updated June 2026)
- Alipay+: Pay in the Chinese mainland (official)
- Beijing Municipal Government: mobile payment guide for foreigners
- Tencent: payment measures for international visitors (May 2026)
- gov.cn: Payment service guide for overseas visitors
- Bank of China: ATM service for foreign cards
- People's Bank of China: Announcement on refusing cash payment
- State Taxation Administration: departure tax refund measures (2026)
