Do this at home. Both apps need a working SMS code and a stable connection for the identity check, and both are noticeably harder to set up once you're on a Chinese-routed network.
Your passport; a physical Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover or Diners card (virtual and most prepaid cards are rejected, especially by WeChat); a phone number that can receive SMS — your home number is fine; and the name on the card matching your passport exactly, including middle names.
Installed outside China it opens in English by default, and it reliably scans at small vendors. It also carries the metro and bus ride code.
Install Alipay from your home App Store or Google Play. Tap Sign Up, pick your country code, enter your mobile number and the SMS code. Once your connection shows as China-based, your home app store may restrict the download — get it now.
This is mandatory and it's the step that unlocks real spending limits. Go to Me → Settings (gear icon, top right) → Account and Security → Identity Verification. Choose "Foreigner / Overseas resident" as the document type — not Chinese ID. Upload a clear photo of your passport data page, fill in your details exactly as printed, then complete the facial recognition scan.
Lay the passport on a dark, matte surface — a dark t-shirt or a desk mat — with even light. Glare on the machine-readable zone is the number one cause of a failed read. Remove glasses and hats for the selfie. Approval is usually one or two minutes, occasionally a few hours.
Go to Me → Bank Cards → the + icon. Enter the card number (or scan it with the camera). Your bank sends a verification code to the phone number registered to the card — enter it. You can bind up to three foreign cards; using one with no foreign-transaction fee saves you 1–3%.
Make one small purchase — a convenience store at the airport is ideal — and confirm the card is actually charged. Better to discover a problem while you still have staff and wi-fi in front of you.
Not optional. Some smaller restaurants and street vendors display only one of the two QR codes, and during APEC week and holidays one app or the other will occasionally have a bad day.
Creating a fresh WeChat account from outside China can require an existing user to scan a QR code to verify you — a one-time anti-spam step. Arrange it with a friend before you fly; doing it cold on arrival is harder. If you already use WeChat, skip this.
Tap Me → Services → Wallet → Cards → Add a Card. "Services" is a standard tab on the Me page in the international WeChat; if you don't see it, update WeChat to the latest version from your app store. It is not a hidden menu — the real gate is the identity step below.
Go to Services → Wallet → Cards → Add a Card. Enter the number, expiry and CVV, then your passport details for identity verification. Confirm the SMS code and set a 6-digit payment PIN — you'll enter it (or use Face ID) for every transaction, so make it memorable.
WeChat places a small pre-authorisation — around US$0.05 — to confirm the card is live. It's refunded. If your banking app flags it, that's what it is, not fraud.
Both apps are sensitive to your apparent location. With a VPN on, transactions fail and card binding can be refused outright. Disable it for setup and for every payment.
| Item | Alipay | WeChat Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction under ¥200 | No platform fee | No platform fee |
| Transaction over ¥200 | 3% platform fee | 3% platform fee |
| Per transaction (verified) | ≈ US$5,000 | ≈ ¥6,000 |
| Annual / monthly cap | ≈ US$50,000 / year | ≈ ¥50,000 / month, ¥60,000 / year |
| Unverified account | Roughly US$2,000 a year — verify, or you will hit a wall fast | |
Figures above are typical 2026 values. Limits and the 200/3% rule can shift with app versions and promotions — the live confirmation screen is the final word.
The 3% is charged by the platform, not your bank, and it isn't shown on the scanning screen — it appears at the final confirmation step. Your own bank may add a separate 1–3% foreign transaction fee on top.
| Symptom | Try this |
|---|---|
| Card keeps being refused | Call your bank before travelling and tell them specifically you'll use third-party payment apps in China — some banks block these by default. Check the name matches your passport exactly. Use a physical card from a major bank, not a virtual or prepaid one. |
| Can't pay a small street vendor | Known limitation: cards bound to Alipay can only pay registered business accounts, and some vendors use personal QR codes. Use Alipay's TourCard — because the balance is held in RMB rather than charged to your card, it pays personal codes too. |
| SMS code never arrives | Check your carrier allows international SMS and that your messaging app isn't filtering unknown senders. WeChat also offers a voice-call option that reads the code aloud. |
| Card bound, payment still fails | Turn the VPN off. In Alipay check Me → Settings → Region — if it's set to mainland China, switch it to your home country and restart. Repeated failures can trigger a 24–72 hour security lock. |
| Passport verification won't pass | Dark matte surface, no glare, good light. Make sure you selected "Foreigner / overseas document" and not Chinese ID. Enter every name field exactly as printed, middle names included. |
If direct binding fails, search TourCard inside Alipay. It's a prepaid RMB wallet you top up with a foreign card: balance capped at ¥10,000, a 5% top-up fee, valid 180 days with unused funds refunded automatically. More expensive than binding directly, but it works at vendors that reject foreign cards outright. Use it only if you need to.
Prerequisite: none of this works without data — see setting up a travel eSIM. Once both apps are live, you're effectively done: back to the payment overview, or on to the pre-departure checklist.