Open ChinaTravel · 2026

How-to · Payments

Foreign card, Chinese QR. Solved.

Since 2023, Alipay accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Discover, and Diners directly. No Chinese bank account. No friend's account. Five-minute setup from home.

Before you fly

  1. Download Alipay from the App Store or Google Play.
  2. Sign up with your phone number (any country code works).
  3. Open Me → Bank Cards → Add Card. Enter your Visa or Mastercard.
  4. Verify your identity: passport scan + a selfie. Approval takes 1–5 minutes.
  5. Done. The app is now ready to scan any Chinese QR code.

How fees work

  • Transactions ≤ ¥200 (~$28): No fee. Alipay absorbs it.
  • Transactions > ¥200: 3% fee charged by Alipay to your card.
  • Your bank's foreign-transaction fee still applies (0–3%, depends on card).

Practical implication: split big payments into several <¥200 charges where possible. Hotel bills hit the 3% — annoying but still cheaper than not having Alipay at all.

Daily and monthly limits

  • Per transaction: ¥6,000 (~$830)
  • Per day: ¥6,000
  • Per month: ¥50,000 (~$6,900)
  • Per year: ¥60,000

Enough for any normal tourist. If you'll exceed these (long stay, expensive hotels), top up Tour Pass — a prepaid wallet inside Alipay with separate limits.

If verification fails

  • "Card not supported" — try a different card (some prepaid/debit cards fail; credit usually works).
  • Your bank declines the charge — call them. Many US/UK banks flag the first transaction as fraud; whitelisting fixes it permanently.
  • Selfie verification fails repeatedly — try again in good lighting with a plain background. If still stuck, contact Alipay chat support (English available).

What about WeChat Pay?

WeChat Pay also accepts foreign cards now, with similar fees. Install it as a backup — some smaller merchants and red envelopes from new friends will require it. But Alipay's UI is more foreigner-friendly and accepts more card types.

What you'll actually use it for

Everything. Convenience stores, restaurants, street vendors, Didi, HSR food carts, museum tickets, vending machines, public bikes, temple donations. Cash is now genuinely rare — the 1% of merchants who only take cash are usually small rural stalls. Keep ¥200 in small bills for them.

Once payments work, the next step is the eSIM setup, then book HSR tickets.