China is highly cashless. In major cities, QR code payment is expected at restaurants, convenience stores, cafes, taxis, vending machines, scenic areas, and many small shops. Foreign cards work in some hotels and premium stores, but they are not enough for everyday travel, so set up a mobile wallet before you arrive.
Best setup for most foreign visitors
- Alipay with an international card (credit or debit) added.
- WeChat with WeChat Pay enabled if available.
- Backup bank cards.
- A small amount of RMB cash if digital payment does not set up.
If you only have time to set up one payment app, start with Alipay. Many foreign travelers find it easier to add an international card and use travel-related features there. WeChat is still important because many restaurants, attractions, hotels, and local services operate through WeChat mini programs.
Mobile payment
Alipay
Alipay is usually the most useful first payment app for foreign visitors. It can be used for merchant QR codes, ride hailing, metro and bus functions, translation tools, mini programs, and tickets services.
Before arrival:
- Install the app.
- Register with the phone number you will use while traveling. An international number works; you do not need a Chinese SIM.
- Add an international Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, Discover, or American Express card. UnionPay International is also accepted.
- Complete passport verification (Optional). Without it, your account is capped at a cumulative spending total of about CNY 15,000 (roughly USD 2,000), but verification lifts the ceiling to USD 5,000 per transaction and USD 50,000 per year, and some merchants require it. Alipay usually clears the review within one to three business days, so start it before you fly.
- Consider Tour Card if you expect large single payments. It is a prepaid balance inside Alipay funded from your linked card, with higher per-transaction limits and no per-transaction foreign-card fee; instead you pay a one-time top-up fee (around 5%, with the first small top-up often waived).
- Keep your passport name consistent with bookings and payment profiles.
At a shop or restaurant, you may either scan the merchant’s QR code or show your payment code to the cashier.
WeChat Pay
WeChat Pay is built into WeChat. It is useful because WeChat is also China’s everyday platform for messaging, restaurant ordering, ticketing, hotel communication, attraction reservations, and local mini programs.
Add an international Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, Discover, or American Express card under “Bank Cards,” upload your passport, and enable overseas payment where your settings offer it. As with Alipay, passport verification raises your ceiling: WeChat Pay runs both a USD tier (USD 5,000 per transaction and USD 50,000 per year) and a parallel RMB risk-control tier (around CNY 6,000 per transaction and CNY 60,000 per year), and the stricter of the two applies. If your bank blocks the card, enable cross-border and online payments from your bank’s side before you travel.
If WeChat Pay setup works for your card and account, use it as a second payment option. Even if Alipay is your main wallet, WeChat is worth keeping because some local services are easier inside WeChat.
Fees and limits (2026)
With passport verification, single transactions can reach about USD 5,000 and annual spending USD 50,000; without it, an “experience” tier caps you far lower, so verify early. Your issuing bank can still set a lower cap on its side, so ask about its cross-border limit before you leave.
A 3% fee applies to most foreign-card payments above about CNY 200 per transaction, while transactions under that amount are usually fee-free. The reason is that domestic QR-code transactions carry very low merchant fees, but international card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) charge higher interchange and cross-currency fees, which the platform passes on for larger amounts. First-time binders often get a temporary daily fee waiver (around CNY 1,000 per day for about 90 days), and an international UnionPay card is typically exempt from the service fee entirely. The details keep shifting, so check the current fee and limit notices inside each app before your trip.
Foreign wallets
You do not always need to bind a card. More than thirty overseas wallets now work in mainland China by scanning a merchant QR code directly, and if you already hold one of these wallets, this “out-wallet use” route can be the easiest option of all.
Alipay-network wallets
AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ‘n Go, and other Alipay-partner wallets scan an Alipay merchant QR code directly. Your home wallet converts the currency and the merchant receives RMB through the Alipay network. Check the full Alipay+ partner wallet list to see whether your daily-use digital wallet is part of the network.
PayPal via WeChat Pay
US PayPal users can pay through WeChat Pay merchants via the PayPal World partnership. You open PayPal, scan the WeChat Pay merchant QR code, PayPal converts your currency and routes the payment through Tencent’s system, and the merchant then receives RMB in WeChat Pay.
Nihao China (UnionPay)
UnionPay’s “Nihao China” app is a government-backed one-stop option that supports many overseas wallets, letting them pay through UnionPay QR codes without binding a card.
Cards and cash
International cards are useful at large hotels, some international restaurants, airport services, luxury malls, and ATMs. Acceptance at shop terminals has improved, but QR-code payment through an app remains the reliable default.
Carry a small amount of RMB cash. Cash is still legal tender, but small merchants may not have change, and automated kiosks may not accept it.
Restaurants, ordering, and mini programs
Many restaurants use QR codes for menus and ordering. The QR code may open a WeChat mini program, Alipay mini program, or web page. Sometimes ordering and payment happen inside the same flow.
If the menu is only in Chinese:
- Use built-in translation in Alipay/Wechat Pay.
- Or search dish names in a translation app.
- Ask staff for popular dishes.
- Save dietary notes in Chinese if you have restrictions.
For strict dietary needs, do not rely only on picture menus. Sauces, broths, lard, oyster sauce, and meat stock may not be obvious — see our dedicated guide on halal, vegetarian, and vegan food in China for how to prepare and communicate your requirements.
Common payment problems
The app asks for verification
Use your passport details exactly as shown. If your name order differs between passport, booking, and payment app, verification can become harder. Completing passport verification early also lifts your payment ceilings and unlocks merchants that require it, so do not put it off.
The card is declined
Try a second card, check bank fraud blocks, or contact your bank. Some foreign cards work in one app but fail in another.
The merchant cannot accept your payment
Try the other app, ask whether card payment is possible, or use cash. In tourist-heavy places, staff are often familiar with foreign payment issues.
Simple payment checklist
- Install Alipay and WeChat, and add an international card to each.
- Complete passport verification in both apps to unlock higher limits.
- Bring at least two bank cards.
- Carry a small amount of RMB cash.
- Keep your passport name consistent across bookings and payment apps.
- Save your bank’s international support number.