Why your credit card doesn't work in China, and the 10-minute fix.

The bad news first

You land in Shanghai. You find a noodle shop, point at something that looks good, and hand over your Visa.

The owner looks at it the way you'd look at a fax machine. He points at a QR code taped to the counter.

You don't have the app the QR code wants. You have dollars in your wallet. He can't take those either.

The fix takes about ten minutes, and you should do it at home, before you fly.

Why your card doesn't work

China pays with two apps: Alipay and WeChat Pay. Street stalls, taxis, convenience stores, the metro, almost everyone takes them, and many small places take nothing else.

Cards do work in some places: international hotels, big malls, airports, and more and more metro gates in the big cities, which now accept a tap from a foreign Visa or Mastercard. But for everyday life, from breakfast to the night market, you need the apps.

Apple Pay and Google Pay won't help for everyday payments with a foreign card.

The fix: link your card to Alipay

Since 2023, both Alipay and WeChat Pay let you link a foreign Visa or Mastercard directly. No Chinese bank account needed.

1. Download Alipay and sign up with your home phone number.
2. Switch the language to English if it hasn't already.
3. Add your Visa or Mastercard under Bank cards.
4. Verify your identity with a photo of your passport.
5. Done. The Pay and Scan buttons now charge your card.

Do it on WiFi, at home, with your passport in your hand. Then make one small payment on your first day to prove it works.

You may read older guides telling you to set up a prepaid "Tour Pass" or "Tour Card." Alipay has been closing it to new users, and you don't need it. Linking your card directly is simpler and cheaper.

What it costs

• Payments up to ¥200: free.
• Payments over ¥200: about 3% of the whole payment.
• Limits: about US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year once your passport is verified.

Meals, coffee, taxis and the metro cost nothing extra. The fee only shows up on big things like hotels, which you can often pay by card at the desk instead.

The one catch

With a foreign card, Alipay and WeChat Pay only pay shops. You can't transfer money to a friend, send a red packet, or pay your share of a group bill. Carry a little cash, a few hundred RMB, for paying people back and for the odd place that's cash only.

The one-sentence summary

Install Alipay at home, link your card, verify your passport, and you can pay almost anywhere in China from the moment you land.

This is a short excerpt from the Survive in China guide. Chapter 02 has the WeChat Pay setup screen by screen, what to do when a payment fails, the trick for paying when your signal drops, and how to survive splitting a hotpot bill when your phone can't join the group payment.

Read the full guide →