Foreign tourists traveling in cashless China
2025-01-24For mobile payments in China, the complex matrix rules of who can pay from what, where, to whom and for how much, keep changing, use this as a guide.
Here is a 9 minutes YouTube video of a tourist with no mobile data, no translation app, no maps, no Alipay or WeChat payment schemes and tried to find an ATM in a virtually cashless society.
Equipment needed
(1) Primary phone: A cell phone with eSIM capability. Dial
*#06# to check: eSIM capable phone will show a 32-digit long EID
number.Install Airalo app and purchase an Airalo China data-only eSIM before travel. See this link.
If your phone is not eSIM capable, you can buy a physical tourist SIM card at major airports (PEK, PKX, PVG, SHA, SZX, CAN), or order from 3G Solutions (see below).
In China, you need mobile/cellular data constantly for shopping, restaurants, ride hailing, taxi, metro rides, pay for food and gifts, using voice/camera for translation, using maps, etc.
With data only, you can still make calls to landlines/mobile phones using Skype Out or Viber Out for a small fees.
(2) Auxiliary phone that has 4G LTE Band3 1800 MHz (or 5G Band 78 for newer phones, e.g. Pixel 5a). An old phone (with 4G LTE) will generally suffice.
The auxiliary phone is used to receive SMS/texts on a Chinese phone number. SMS authentication is too often needed for booking tourist attractions, ordering food, using free WiFi on high speed trains, using free public WiFi in tier-2 airports, etc.
(3) For the auxiliary phone, order a prepaid physical SIM card from https://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/ with local (Chinese) phone number. 3G Solutions accepts PayPal only. You can buy a tourist SIM card (with SMS, not the "data-only" type) at major international airports (PEK, PKX, PVG, SHA, SZX, CAN). Once you leave the airport, your chance of getting a tourist SIM is close to zero, mobile stores outside airport typically sell monthly SIM for long term stays and require lengthy registration.
If you must, you can skip (2) auxiliary phone. When you are confronted to do a SMS authentication (by mini apps) that require a Chinese phone number, you can ask a hotel staff to use his/her phone to receive the SMS code and read it you. Typically, binding between a phone number and a mini app is not permanent.
Download and install 7 essential apps on your primary phone
If you are an absolute minimalist, install (1) trip.com, (2)
Alipay, (3) WeChat and (4) translation app.
Since Gmail is blocked inside China, it is better to use outlook.com or other non-blocked email address.
Alipay - register using passport and link a Credit Card. Alipay is English friendly with its built in translator button.
WeChat - register using passport and link a Credit Card. WeChat Pay is slightly more preferred than Alipay in rural areas.
DiDi ride hailing in China - Register using your mobile phone number and link a credit card just like Uber. You can also use DiDi sub app inside Alipay instead.
Trip.com: The Swiss army knife for travel bookings in China, including improved mobile maps.
12306 China Rail app. You can also use trip.com to book railway tickets if you want.
Translator: (iPhone) Apple Translate. (Android) Microsoft Translator. Baidu translate is widely used in China.
Mobile maps: iPhone's Apple Maps is sufficiently accurate in major cities for travelers. Android: use trip.com map.
-Map work around 1: Didi app. DiDi's map search bar is fluent in Chinese or English inputs.
-Map work around 2: WeChat ... Discover ... Search ... "Tencent maps"... click on the Compass icon to launch Tencent Maps 腾讯地图 (Chinese only).
-Map work around 3: Gaode Maps 高德地图 and/or Baiu Maps 百度地图 (both are Chinese only).
What are these apps for
Alipay - mobile payments in China. An optional "real name registration" using passport and selfies will increase the spending ceiling to 50,000 ¥ annually.WeChat - communications (like WhatsApp) and mobile payments in China. An optional "real name registration" using passport and selfies will increase spending ceiling to 60,000 ¥ annually.
DiDi - ride hailing (Uber's equivalent in China). You can use the English friendly DiDi stand alone app, or call up DiDi as a sub-app (mini app) within Alipay.
12306 - book China Railway's high speed train tickets for inter-city travels, e.g. Fuxing CR400AF traveling between Beijing and Shanghai can cruise at 350 km/h and peak over 400 km/h.
Trip.com - An English-proficient app that can book hotels, flights, trains, attractions in China. Some travelers prefer to book hotels using western chain apps such as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Booking.com and IHG. The Chinese version of some of these hotel apps are found inside WeChat or Alipay as a "mini app".
Translator - its use is obvious: you can text, speak, or use the camera for bidirectional translations. Mobile data is needed except text translation. Watch this short video
Mobile maps - tourism in the past use paper maps. It's a personal choice to use mobile maps or paper maps.
Optional - add money to WeChat Wallet/Alipay Balance
If you have relatives or trusted friends from China, they can
transfer money to your AliPay/WeChat Wallet in person using QR
Code. WeChat can transfer money between "WeChat friends" using Chats, "+" button, "Transfer". The personal-wallet to personal-wallet transfer is allowed between friends up to some limits.
Mobile payments using balance from personal-wallet avoid credit card's foreign transaction fee and unfavorable bank exchange rate. It waives the 3% service fee charged by WeChat/Alipay using credit card over 300 ¥. Total savings could be about 8%.
If you don't have rich relatives hence your wallet is probably zero; Alipay/WeChat can draw funds exclusively from your linked credit card to pay merchants in China. Most foreign tourists use this payment method for convenience, but beware of the spending ceiling of 50,000 ¥ annually. Strategy: pay hotels using foreign credit card, purchase high speed rail tickets using 12306 or ctrip.com linked to foreign credit card.
There are two modes of QR Code mobile payment
As a practice of 我扫你 I scan you, here is a QR code (the code is a link to Chinese version of trip.com).
Open Alipay, tap "Scan", aim your phone's camera to the QR code, if you hear two beeps and the Chinese ctrip page opens, you pass the first test.
Close Alipay, open WeChat "Chats", tap the "+" sign (on top right corner), tap "Scan", aim at the QR Code, if you hear a beep and the Chinese ctrip page opens, you pass the second test.
If you use Tim Horton's app's QR code to pay for coffee at Tim Horton's coffee shops, the payment experience is exactly the same as "You scan me".
Alipay Touch (Alipay Tap) mobile payment rolled out in 2024.
Left half of the following video is "Pay by Tap", right half of
the video is "I scan you".
How to
Book domestic flightsuse trip.com
Book high speed trains tickets
use trip.com or 12306, booking opens 14 days in advance of travel. Popular routes fill up quickly so plan ahead to avoid disappointment. After the ticket is booked, you receive a QR Code, on the day of your travel, arrive at the correct station very early. For example, Shenzhen has 5 stations, Shanghai has 4 stations, Beijing has 5 stations, etc. Find the "passport holders" line and have your passport verified by a staff. Your train ticket is linked to your passport, you don't need the QR Code. Booking "big ticket items" using 12306 or trip.com (linked to foreign credit card) can can elude Alipay and WeChat mobile payment spending ceiling of 50,000 ¥ annually.
Metro rides
Alipay - At the top left corner of main screen, select city you are in. Type "metro" in the search box. Tap the subway icon (if this is the first time you are in that city, tap the Get Now icon), a QR code appears. Present the QR code to the metro turnstile scanner to enter and to exit.
WeChat - "Me", "Pay and Services', "Travel Service", select city from drop down (use Pinyin, e.g. Beijing), tap green icon that looks like "G", next you are in "Service Provider" page, select city from drop down (again), a QR code appears (if this is the first time you are in that city, "Go to activate", select payment method). Present the QR code to the metro turnstile scanner to enter and to exit.
You can use cash or mobile payment to buy metro token from ticketing machines. Use small denominations bills such as 10 ¥ or 20 ¥ .
Taxi
Taxi are found at airports and train stations. They accept cash but generally do not have cash for any change. Use your Alipay or WeChat to scan the taxi's payment QR Code. You cannot flag a taxi in busy cities, as many that appear vacant are actually pre-booked via DiDi.
Ride hailing (DiDi)
Outside of airports and train stations, if you flag a taxi and it doesn't stop DiDi, is probably the way to hail a ride. When the DiDi ride shows up, you confirm it is the ride by its license plate number (just like Uber), the driver needs the last 4 digits of your phone number to verify it is you who booked the ride (the phone number you used when registering the DiDi app). For example, if the last 4 digits of your phone number is 2347, type "two three four seven" in a translator app to talk to the DiDi driver. Sometimes the driver will say the last 4 digits of your phone number to you and if that is your number, you respond "yes".
Hotels
If you book a hotel using trip.com, you can eluse Alipay and WeChat mobile payment spending ceiling of 50,000 ¥ annually. Hotels (especially western chains) generally accept Visa or MasterCard.
Restaurants
On restaurant tables, there is a QR code, open WeChat or Alipay and then scan the QR code to launch the menu. Select dishes and pay using WeChat or Alipay, the food will be delivered to you by a staff or a robot.
Gift shops and Food stands
Typically there is a QR code posted on the stand. Use WeChat Pay or Alipay and scan the QR code, type in the amount to pay the merchant, the merchant will receive a confirmation on their mobile phone and give you the items or food.
Tourist attractions, theme parks, entertainment
You can use trip.com or mini-app inside WeChat/Alipay to pre-book attractions. Major attractions (e.g. Forbidden City in Beijing) during peak seasons require 1 to 7 days advance mobile booking. Some attractions do not sell tickets at the entrance. The entrance is used to check passport and scan the QR code of pre-booked tickets.
Modern China has transformed from a cash society to a cashless and QR code centric society, especially in big cities.
Carry adequate cash in case the mobile payment scheme fails.
Merchants are required by law to accept RMB cash, but many don't have any cash to give change. Cash is considered ultra inconvenient, some merchants may refuse to sell you goods and services if you are not equipped with mobile payment.