WeChat Pay vs Alipay: which one do you actually need?
Short answer for visitors: start with Alipay, add WeChat if you'll be with Chinese friends. Here's why.
Both. But start with one.
Spend five minutes researching a trip to China and you'll meet two payment apps: Alipay (支付宝) and WeChat Pay (微信支付). Most shops take both. You don't have to choose forever, but you do have to set one up first.
For a visitor, that's Alipay.
The 30-second decision
- Short trip, mostly on your own? Alipay is enough.
- Spending time with Chinese friends or colleagues? Add WeChat Pay too. WeChat is the messaging app everyone uses, and some small shops only show a WeChat code.
- Living in China? You'll end up with both, linked to a Chinese bank card.
The real differences
| Alipay | WeChat Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup for foreigners | Easiest: sign up with your foreign number, link your card, verify passport | Fussier: WeChat sometimes asks an existing user to verify a new account |
| Shop coverage | Almost everywhere | Almost everywhere |
| Built-in extras | Didi, metro QR codes and city services are easy to find | Lives inside the chat app everyone uses; also has Didi and metro codes |
| Fees with a foreign card | Free up to ¥200, about 3% above | Free up to ¥200, about 3% above |
Both now let you link a foreign Visa or Mastercard directly. No Chinese bank account, no prepaid card. You may still see old advice about Alipay's "Tour Pass." It's being closed to new users, and linking your card is better anyway.
The catch with a foreign card
In both apps, a foreign card can only pay shops. That means:
- No transferring money to friends
- No red packets (红包)
- No paying your share of a group bill in the chat
So the classic "everyone taps to split the hotpot" moment won't work for you. Pay the whole bill at the till (that's a shop payment, so it works) and let your friends pay you back in cash, or pay your share in cash.
If you live in China and open a Chinese bank account, link that card instead, and transfers, red packets and group bills all work.
What doesn't work
- Apple Pay and Google Pay with a foreign card, for everyday payments
- PayPal, at shops
- Dollars, euros and other foreign cash, at shops. Change money at a bank, an airport counter or your hotel instead.
Foreign cards do work at international hotels, big malls, and the metro gates in some big cities. And Chinese cash (RMB) is still legal tender. Carry a little.
This is a short excerpt from the Survive in China guide. Chapter 02 walks through both apps screen by screen, the three ways WeChat's card setup fails and what to do, and the fallback list for when nothing on your phone works.
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