Foreign tourists traveling in cashless China

2025-05-17
For 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. Don't make that mistake.

Equipment needed

In China, you need mobile/cellular data constantly for shopping, ride hailing, taxi, metro rides, pay for food and gifts, using voice/camera for translation, using maps, etc.

(1) A cell phone with eSIM capability. Dial *#06# to check: eSIM capable phone will show a 32-digit long EID number.
iPhones sold in China, Macau and Hong Kong do not have eSIM possibly because eSIM can bypass the Great Firewall of China.
Assuming your phone is eSIM capable, install Saily app and purchase a data-only eSIM for China before travel. See this link.
One major advantage of Saily eSIM (and Airalo eSIM) is that WhatsApp, Rakuten Viber, fongo, Facebook Messenger, YouTube, iMessage, Facetime, Google email, Google Chat, Google Maps, etc. will work in China. Also you can tether to laptops and other devices in your travel group.
You can make calls to landlines/mobile phones using Rakuten Viber for a small fees. For Canadians, you can use "fongo" to call all phones in Canada for free.

(2) An 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.
An auxiliary phone is absolutely necessary to receive SMS/texts sent to a Chinese phone number for identify validation. SMS identity validation 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, and even renting a bicycle.

For the auxiliary phone, buy a tourist SIM card at major airports (PEK, PKX, PVG, SHA, SZX, CAN). Be prepared for a long line and lengthy identify verification. You can miss your connecting flight to other smaller cities. Once you leave the airport, your chance of getting a tourist SIM card is close to zero. Mobile stores outside airport only sell monthly SIM for long term stays and require lengthy identify registration. Or better yet, order ahead of travel from 3G Solutions https://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/ and have it snail mailed to your home, or delivered to a hotel in China (major cities only).

Download and install essential apps on your primary phone

At home, using a browser, go to https://www.12306.cn/en to create an account using your email and passport information.

WeChat - register using passport and link a Credit Card. WeChat Pay is slightly more preferred than Alipay in rural areas.
Alipay - strictly speaking if you have WeChat then Alipay is not needed.  However, Alipay spent extra effort in making their app and mini-apps as friendly to English users as possible. Register using passport and link a Credit Card. Also you can use the new (2024) Alipay Tap payment system which offers a similar experience as western credit cards.
Trip.com: The Swiss army knife for travel bookings in China, including improved mobile maps. Ctrip.com is the equivalent of trip.com but in Chinese.
12306 China Rail app for booking intercity railway.
Translator: (iPhone) Apple Translate. (Android) Microsoft Translator. Baidu translate is widely used in China. It is unfortunate that many YouTubers visit China without utilizing the translation capabilities of their phones.
Mobile maps: iPhone's Apple Maps is adequate in major cities for travel purposes. Android phones: use trip.com map.
-Map work around: WeChat ... Discover ... Search ... "Tencent maps"... click on the Compass icon to launch Tencent Maps 腾讯地图 (Chinese only).
-Map work around: Gaode Maps 高德地图 and/or Baiu Maps 百度地图 (unfortunately both are Chinese only, not really for foreigners).

What are these apps for

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.
Alipay - mobile payments in China. An optional "real name registration" using passport and selfies will increase the spending ceiling to 50,000 ¥ annually. Use Alipay to pay at Alipay Tap terminals which is very similar to western credit card taps.
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.
Translator - its use is obvious: you can text, speak, or use the camera for bidirectional translations. Mobile data is needed except for text translation if you download the offline language pack. Watch this short video.
Mobile maps - travel in the past use paper maps. It's a personal choice to use mobile maps or not.

A crash course on invoking and exiting WeChat mini-app

There are certain aspects of WeChat that may feel unfamiliar to foreigners. WeChat has an unusual concept of "mini-apps" (sub-apps) which are invoked from within WeChat. It is an app inside an app. On the WeChat Discover ... Mini Programs page, there is a "Search Mini Programs" bar, type the name or partial name of a mini-app (there were 4.3 million mini apps in 2023). For example, type didi in the "Search Mini Program" bar. Look for this DiDi's icon:    Unfortunately DiDi mini-app is mostly in Chinese (with partial English support), but it is essential to getting around in China.

Once you finish using a mini-app, you will be left in frustration how to to return to the main page. The "mystery exit button" is a circle with a dot like an eyeball, near the top right corner. See the graphics below.

Optional - add cash/money to "WeChat Wallet" or "Alipay Balance"

If you have rich relatives or trusted friends from China, they can transfer money to your AliPay/WeChat Wallet (cash balance) in person using QR Code.
WeChat can transfer money between "WeChat friends": Using Chats, "+" button, "Transfer". The personal-cash-wallet to personal-cash-wallet transfer is allowed between friends, up to some limits. Mobile payments using balance from personal-cash-wallet can avoid credit card's fee and unfavorable bank exchange rate. It also waives the 3% service fee charged by WeChat/Alipay using credit card over 300 ¥. Total savings could be about 8% if you are a big spender.

Not everyone has wealthy relatives, so your wallet is likely empty. In that case, you can still use WeChat or Alipay to charge your purchases to your linked credit card. Alipay and WeChat allow merchants in China to receive payments from foreigners. Beware of the spending ceiling of 50,000 ¥ annually.
To avoid hitting the spending ceiling too soon, use foreign credit card for big ticket items such as flights, hotels, high-speed rail, fancy restaurants/shopping malls that can accept foreign credit cards.

There are two modes of QR Code mobile payment

A crash course on using QR code payment

As a practice of 我扫你 I scan you, here is a QR code (the QR code is a link to ctrip.com, a Chinese version of trip.com).
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.
WeChat "Discover", tap "Scan", aim at the QR Code, if you hear a single beep and the Chinese ctrip page opens, you pass the second test.

Alipay Tap mobile payment (new since 2024)

The new Alipay Tap method is similar (but not identical) to western credit card taps.
(1) Unlock your phone (2) Tap (3) Confirm.
Currently only Alipay has this payment method in selected cities.

Carry adequate cash in case the Alipay or WeChat pay mobile payment scheme fails.

How to

Book domestic flights 
use trip.com

Book high speed train tickets 
use 12306, booking opens 14 days in advance of travel. Popular routes sold out instantly like Taylor Swift tickets, 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 even need the QR Code at the station.

Metro rides
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.
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.
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)   (Mini app inside WeChat/Alipay)

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 WeChat/Alipay/DiDi). 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 by saying "yes".


Hotels
If you book a hotel using trip.com, you can elude Alipay and WeChat mobile payment spending ceiling of 50,000 ¥ annually. Hotels (especially western chains) generally accept foreign 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) 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.

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 simply refuse to sell you goods and services if you are not equipped with mobile payment.