How to pay in China as a foreigner (2026): Alipay, WeChat Pay, cash

By Dayfare Editorial · Updated October 27, 2026 · 7 min read

Short answer: in China you pay with your phone. Before you fly, install Alipay and WeChat Pay (called Weixin Pay in China), verify your identity with your passport, and link a Visa or Mastercard. Then you can scan QR codes almost everywhere. Once verified, large payments work too; the app shows your current limit. Keep a few hundred yuan in cash and a physical card for the times a payment fails.

Last verified: October 14, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the post.

Payment options compared

	Alipay	WeChat Pay (Weixin Pay)	Foreign card at the till	Cash (CNY)
Where it works	Almost everywhere, including street stalls, taxis and metro	Almost everywhere, same as Alipay	Hotels, major attractions, airports, large stores showing the logo	Legally accepted everywhere, but some small vendors have no change
Cards you can link	Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, Discover	Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover	Your card itself	Withdraw at ATMs with your card's network logo
Limit for verified foreign users	Up to US$5,000 per transaction, US$50,000 a year (2024 rule); check the app	Up to US$5,000 per transaction, US$50,000 a year (2024 rule); check the app	Your card's own limit	Whatever you carry
Fees	Small payments usually free; larger ones may carry a fee	Free under ¥200; about 3% above, with a 60-day welcome waiver under ¥1,000 a day	Your bank's foreign transaction fee	ATM fee and your bank's fee
Best for	Default wallet, travel and booking mini-apps	Second wallet, places that only show a WeChat code	Hotel deposits, backup	Backup, when the phone fails

Most travelers set up both apps. Each one is a backup for the other, and a few merchants only display one code.

Setup checklist: do this before the trip

Set up at home, on Wi-Fi, with your card and passport at hand. Verification can take a while, and you want any card declines to happen at your kitchen table, not at a ticket gate.

Install Alipay from your app store. Register with your own phone number or email and set a password.
Verify your identity in Alipay with your passport. Small payments may work without it, but the full foreign-visitor limits need verification.
Link your card in Alipay. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover cards are supported. Use the name exactly as it appears on your passport.
Install WeChat and register with your phone number. Open the payment section and add a card. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Discover are supported.
Verify your identity in WeChat Pay with your passport when the app asks.
Call or message your bank (or check its app) so it doesn't block payments from China, and check your foreign transaction fee.
Make one small test payment in each app if you can, for example a small online purchase in the app, so you know the card goes through.
Enable roaming or install an eSIM with data that works in China. Both apps need a connection to pay.
Carry a power bank. A flat phone means no payments.

Link a backup card from a different network if you have one, for example a Mastercard alongside your Visa. If one is declined, you switch in seconds.

How paying works on the ground

There are two ways to pay, and both apps support them:

Scan the merchant's code. You scan a QR code on the counter, type the amount in yuan, and confirm. Common at small shops, stalls and taxis.
Show your payment code. You open your code in the app and the cashier scans it. Common at supermarkets, chains and convenience stores.

You always pay in yuan. The app charges your linked card, and your card statement shows the amount in your home currency, converted by your card network and bank.

Limits and fees

	What applies	Source
Single transaction, verified foreign user	Up to US$5,000 (2024 rule; the app shows your current limit)	People's Bank of China, announced March 2024
Annual total, verified foreign user	Up to US$50,000 (2024 rule; the app shows your current limit)	People's Bank of China, announced March 2024
Without identity verification	Small payments only, below an amount set by each app	State Council guidance on payment services
WeChat Pay fee, under ¥200	Free, on every payment	Beijing municipal government, March 2026
WeChat Pay fee, new card link	Free under ¥1,000 a day for the first 60 days, saving up to ¥30 a payment	Beijing municipal government, March 2026
WeChat Pay fee, above that	About 3%	Beijing municipal government, March 2026
Your own bank	Its foreign transaction fee, if any	Your bank's fee list

The limits are in US dollars, so the yuan amount moves a little with the exchange rate. Some apps also apply lower daily or monthly caps of their own. The current limit shows in each app, so check it before a big payment like a long-distance train or a hotel.

To keep fees down: pay smaller amounts with WeChat Pay where it is free, pay larger amounts with a card that has no foreign transaction fee, and always pay in yuan. If a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. The ATM guide explains why that one button costs 3 to 8%.

Troubleshooting

Your foreign card is declined in the app.

Check that the name and card details match your passport exactly.
Open your bank's app. Many banks block the first payment from China as possible fraud. Approve it, or call the number on the card.
Try the other app. A card declined in one may go through in the other.
Switch to your backup card, ideally on a different network.
If the amount is large, check the app's limit. You may need to split the payment or finish identity verification.

The merchant says they can't accept foreign cards. Some merchants cannot take payments funded by foreign cards. Try the other app, or pay cash.

The payment fails with no clear reason. Check your data connection first, then the app's notifications for a verification request. Restarting the app and paying again often works.

Your phone dies or is lost. This is what the backups are for: cash and a physical card, kept in different places.

Backups: cash, cards and UnionPay

Cash. The yuan is legal tender, and official guidance says major tourist sites should keep ticket counters that take it. Carry a few hundred yuan for the moment your phone fails. Withdraw at bank ATMs that show your card's network logo, and decline any offer to convert to your home currency. Exchanging money is also possible at bank branches and airport counters. See the ATM guide for fees and which button to press.
Visa and Mastercard. Cards are accepted where the counter shows the logo, and official guidance asks 3-star and higher hotels and the biggest attractions to accept foreign cards. Away from those, card terminals are rare.
UnionPay. China's own card network works at every merchant card terminal on the mainland. If your bank issues UnionPay cards, bring one. The UnionPay app also offers a prepaid Tour card for visitors, topped up from your bank card.

How to track China spending in Dayfare without counting it twice

Paying with Alipay or WeChat Pay creates two records of the same money: the payment in yuan in the app, and a charge in your home currency on your card statement. If the app's balance is topped up, as with a prepaid card, you have a top-up as well. Only one of these belongs in your budget.

Log the spending in yuan, as you spend. A ¥38 bowl of noodles paid with Alipay is logged as ¥38 under Food. Dayfare converts it to your home currency when you log it and shows what is left for today.
Don't log the card charge or the top-up. That is the same money leaving a different pocket. Logging both doubles your total.
Log fees separately under Bank Fees. If WeChat Pay charges 3% on a ¥500 payment, add the ¥15 fee under Bank Fees. You can choose whether a fee counts toward today's budget or only toward the trip total.
Cash works the same way. Log what you buy with cash, not the ATM withdrawal itself.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners use Alipay and WeChat Pay in China?

Yes. Both apps let visitors register with a foreign phone number or email, verify identity with a passport, and link an international card such as Visa or Mastercard. You do not need a Chinese bank account.

What is the Alipay and WeChat Pay limit for foreigners?

Since 2024, a People's Bank of China rule lets verified foreign users pay up to US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 a year with Alipay and Tenpay (WeChat Pay). Limits may have changed since, and the apps can set lower caps of their own, so check yours in the app after verifying. Small payments may work before identity verification, but the large limits need it. Check the current limit inside each app before a big purchase.

Does WeChat Pay charge a fee on foreign cards?

WeChat Pay waives its 3% fee on every payment under ¥200 made with an international card. New card links also get a 60-day waiver on payments under ¥1,000 a day. Above that, expect about 3%, plus any foreign transaction fee from your own bank.

Do I still need cash in China?

A little. Cash is legal tender and big tourist sites must accept it, but many small vendors only show a QR code. Carry a few hundred yuan for the moment your phone, battery or card fails.

Are Visa and Mastercard accepted in China?

At hotels, big attractions, airports and large stores, usually yes, where the counter shows the card logo. At small shops and street stalls, rarely. Linking your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay is the reliable way to use it everywhere.

Prices and rules last verified: October 14, 2026. Published October 27, 2026.