WeChat Pay for foreigners

How to set up WeChat Pay

1. Download WeChat and create an account with your mobile number before you travel; new accounts sometimes need another user to verify them.
2. Open Me, then Services or Pay, then Wallet, and add your international card: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club are accepted. You do not need a Chinese bank card or account.
3. Verify your identity with your passport when asked.
4. Set a payment PIN and turn on notifications.

How to pay

• Scan the shop's QR code, enter the amount and confirm with your PIN.
• Or show your payment code for the cashier to scan.
• Some taxis, hotels and attractions use WeChat mini-programs for booking and payment.

Fees and limits

As with Alipay, single payments over ¥200 with a foreign card have carried a 3% fee, smaller ones none, and there are per-payment and yearly limits for foreign users. The app shows your current limits; check them before you travel. The same tricks avoid the fee: see how to avoid the 3% fee.

What a foreign card can't do on WeChat

With a foreign card you can pay shops, restaurants, taxis and mini programs, but you cannot send red envelopes (hongbao) or transfer money to friends: those features need a Chinese bank account. To settle a shared bill, let one person pay the restaurant and settle up in cash, or each pay the restaurant separately.

Mini programs, and why signs say Weixin

Mini programs are small apps that run inside WeChat. Many restaurants put a QR code on the table: scan it to see the menu, order and pay from your phone. Hotels, museums and bike rentals use them too.

In China, WeChat is called Weixin (微信), and payment signs often say Weixin Pay. It is the same app and the same wallet.

WeChat or Alipay?

Both are accepted almost everywhere. Alipay is the easier one to set up as a foreigner, so start there; WeChat is also the messaging app most Chinese people and hotels use, so it is handy for contacting your hotel. Set up both if you can.

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.