Alipay for foreigners

How to set up Alipay before you travel

1. Download Alipay from your app store at home and sign up with your mobile number.
2. Add a Visa, Mastercard or another supported international card under the card or bank section. American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards are accepted too, so cards from the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere all work.
3. Verify your identity with your passport when the app asks: larger payments need it.
4. Turn on payment notifications so you can see each charge.
5. Test it before you fly if you can, or with a small first purchase on arrival.

How to pay with Alipay in China

• Scan to pay: scan the shop's QR code, type the amount, confirm.
• Pay code: open your payment code and let the cashier scan it.
• Transport: in many cities the Alipay transport code works on the metro and buses.
• Mini-programs: DiDi taxis, bike rental and some ticket booking work inside Alipay.

Fees and limits

With a foreign card, Alipay has charged 3% on any single payment over ¥200 (on the whole amount, not just the part above ¥200), while payments of ¥200 or less are free. Your bank may add its own foreign transaction fee, and there are per-payment and yearly limits for foreign users. Check the current terms in the app before you travel, because they change.

“Alipay is the easier one to set up as a foreigner. You pay the 3% when a single purchase is over ¥200, but most merchants, especially in tourist places, know about it, so you can ask them to split the payment into amounts under ¥200. Keep it to two or three payments at most: more than that and your card might get blocked.”

How to avoid the 3% fee

• Keep single payments at ¥200 or less where you can: meals, taxis, metro rides and most shopping already are.
• Ask the shop to split a bigger bill into two or three payments under ¥200. Merchants in tourist areas are used to it. Don't split into more than that: many small charges in a row can make your bank block the card.
• Pay big bills another way: book hotels and train tickets online in advance with your card, and use the card directly at hotels and large shops.
• Use a card with no foreign transaction fee, so you only pay Alipay's 3% on the larger payments.

Refunds, Tour Pass and keeping your account secure

Refunds, such as a cancelled order or a hotel deposit, go back the way you paid: to your Alipay balance or to your card, which can take a few working days.

Older guides mention Tour Pass, a prepaid card inside Alipay. Most visitors no longer need it: linking your own card in the main app is now the standard way to pay.

Alipay is one of China's two main payment apps, run by Ant Group and used daily by hundreds of millions of people. To limit your exposure, set a payment password, turn on notifications, and link a card you can freeze from your bank's app.

If a payment fails

• Make sure your bank allows payments in China and is not blocking the charge as fraud.
• Try a different card, or WeChat Pay as a second wallet.
• Keep some cash and a card that works at hotels and big shops.

Book a hotel that accepts foreign guests

Hotels in mainland China need police approval to register foreign guests, and some, mostly small budget hotels and guesthouses outside the big cities, do not have it. Hotels listed on international booking sites almost always do.

On Trip.com, each hotel's policy section says whether it accepts guests from all countries; Staylist shows that line on each hotel page. Book before you arrive rather than walking in, and bring your passport: the hotel scans it and registers you, so you do not need to visit the police yourself. Our guide to hotels that accept foreigners in China covers check-in, deposits and payment.