Mobile Payment

Before you start

Download the app on a connection you trust, before the trip. A check may ask for your passport. Read the merchant name, the amount, and any fee before you confirm. Keep a bank card and some cash, because a QR code is not accepted at every stall. These visitor setups pay merchants. They are not a way to transfer money to a private person.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

Alipay

Alipay’s international version is the visitor product. Download Alipay, register with a mobile number, and choose the international version when you sign in. Then bind an overseas bank card. Alipay describes these as credit or debit cards issued outside China on major international networks. The Foreign Ministry payment guide lists UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, and Discover as cards Alipay can bind. Use the in-app add-card steps.

You can scan the merchant’s code or show your own payment code. Everyday spending in mainland China is covered: shops, taxis, metro, flights, and hotels. Personal transfers, red packets, wealth products, insurance, and other financial services are not. The exchange rate comes from the card network and the issuing bank. The bank statement is the final record. Help is +86 571 2688 6000 every day from 08:00 to 24:00. Inside mainland China the same line is 0571 2688 6000.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

TenPayGo

TenPayGo is a separate app from Tenpay Payment Technology Co., Ltd. It pays merchants in mainland China. It is not Alipay, and it is not the wallet inside WeChat.

Sign in with your email. Add an international bank card, or Apple Pay where the phone offers it. You may be asked to verify the card before the first payment. Then scan a merchant QR code, show your payment code, or pay on a supported merchant page. Do not screenshot or share the payment code.

TenPayGo waives its international-card fee when the transaction is 200 yuan or less. Any fee is shown before you confirm. Limits can apply per payment, per day, or per year. Refunds start with the merchant and usually return to the same card. Timing depends on the bank. Support is tenpaygo_support@tencent.com. The service agreement limits TenPayGo to consumer payments. It does not open a stored-value account, accept a top-up, or send transfers and red packets.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

WeChat Pay

Inside WeChat, WeChat Pay can bind an international card issued by a bank outside mainland China, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Which cards work, and where, follows the screen in WeChat.

Tenpay’s published rule: no international-card fee when a single payment is 200 yuan or less. When the payment is above 200 yuan, the fee is 3 percent of that payment. The fee is shown before you confirm, to two decimal places. If the payment is refunded, the fee is refunded in the same proportion.

If you have only an international card and have not completed real-name checks, you can pay merchants but you cannot use a balance, top up, transfer, or receive a transfer. Limits appear in the app. The foreign-currency amount is the one on your bank statement. Help is 95017.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

Cards and other methods

The Foreign Ministry guide says a card marked UnionPay, Visa, or Mastercard can be used where the merchant shows the same mark. Ask the cashier if you do not see it. A UnionPay card can be used at merchants that have a bank-card terminal. Some overseas wallets can also pay directly when the counter shows the Alipay+ mark, without downloading another app. That depends on the wallet you already have.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

Offline and backup

Cash still works. At an airport or port, use an ATM that accepts an international card, or an exchange counter or machine. In town, licensed counters, some hotel desks, bank branches, and exchange machines show an exchange sign. You can change unused RMB back before you leave. For a longer stay, a major bank can open an account with a passport. The branch sets the requirements.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026

FAQ

Short answers from the same notices. The screen in the app still wins if it disagrees with this page.

What should I set up before I land?

Alipay or TenPayGo, plus a bank card and a little cash. WeChat Pay is a third option if you already use WeChat.

Why was a fee added?

TenPayGo waives its own international-card fee at 200 yuan or below. WeChat Pay does the same, and charges 3 percent of the whole payment when it is above 200 yuan. Your bank can still add its own charge. The screen before you confirm is the amount you accept.

Can I send money to a friend?

No. These visitor setups pay merchants. Personal transfers, red packets, and topping up a wallet are outside them.

The code failed. What now?

Try the other app, a card, or cash. Do not pay a second time until the first result is clear. In TenPayGo, check Transactions or ask the merchant.

Last reviewed：26 October 2026