Skip to content

payments

Alipay · 支付宝

China’s other main wallet. It takes foreign cards, and inside it you’ll find taxis, transit, delivery, bike rental and a translator.

Alipay
Language
English available
Phone number
a foreign one works
Payment
Visa, Mastercard, JCB

What Alipay is for

Cash is barely used in China and foreign cards are rarely accepted directly. Alipay fixes that: you link your own card and pay by QR code like a local.

For a foreigner Alipay is usually easier than WeChat: signup needs no friend’s confirmation, and the DiDi, metro and delivery mini-programs work straight away.

What people use it for most

  1. QR payments

    Shops, cafés, markets, vending machines — anywhere you see the blue code.

  2. Transit

    A transit QR code for metro and buses in many cities — Transport on the home screen.

  3. Taxis and delivery

    DiDi and food delivery open as mini-programs — no separate apps needed.

How to install

Download Alipay

Install the app only from the official store or the developer’s website.

  1. Download Alipay before your trip

    You need the main Alipay app by Alipay (Hangzhou). AlipayHK is the Hong Kong one and won’t replace it on the mainland.

  2. Pick the language

    On first launch the app offers English; later — Me → Settings → General → Language.

Registration and card

  1. Number and SMS code

    Enter your number with the country code and the SMS code.

  2. Link a card

    Me → Bank Cards → Add. International Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners and Discover work. Cards from Russian banks are usually not accepted.

  3. Verify your passport

    A passport photo and a selfie. Without identity verification your payment limits are much lower.

How to use it

  1. Show your code

    Pay on the home screen — the cashier scans your code.

  2. Scan the seller’s code

    Scan → point at the QR code → enter the amount → confirm.

  3. Call a taxi

    Search for DiDi in Alipay — the mini-program opens in English and charges your linked card.

Worth knowing

With a foreign card Alipay may charge about a 3% fee on payments over ¥200. Small purchases are usually fee-free.

If it won’t work

The card won’t add — check that your bank allows online payments abroad and try another card. The app keeps asking for identity verification — make sure the name is typed in Latin letters exactly as in the passport.

Payment rejected by the seller — some small vendors don’t accept foreign-card payments. Try WeChat Pay or cash.

In-depth guide on the topic

photo: the registration screen of a payment app
9 min🔥 Popular

Money

Alipay for a foreigner, from scratch

Registration, passport, card, paying by QR, transport, Didi and declined cards.

Open the guide

Didn’t find the guide you needed?

Describe it in your own words — a concierge will reply and take you through it step by step.