Alipay and WeChat Pay

What to pick

Alipay is the easier one for a visitor: it accepts a foreign card directly and the interface switches to English.

WeChat Pay suits you better once you live in the country and talk on WeChat: payment and messages in one app.

In practice you need both. Some places take only one of the services, and there is no guessing which in advance.

Linking a card

1. 1

   Install the app

   Install it before you fly: app stores work differently in China and the first install takes longer.

2. 2

   Register

   Registration goes by phone number. A foreign number is accepted, but some features only open after verification.

3. 3

   Add a card

   The payment methods section accepts foreign cards. The name in the app must match the name on the card letter for letter — that is the commonest reason for refusal.

4. 4

   Complete the verification

   Passport verification lifts the low limits and unlocks transfers. Do it straight away, not when you hit the ceiling.

5. 5

   Test a payment

   Make a small test payment somewhere a refusal spoils nothing — the hotel café, say.

Security

Turn on confirmation by passcode or biometrics: by default small amounts are taken without any confirmation.

Do not hand over your phone with the app open “so they can help you pay” — reversing a payment like that takes weeks.

If a payment will not go through

Check the per-transaction limit and your balance: Chinese services almost never explain why a payment failed.

Try the other service — a card often fails in WeChat Pay and works perfectly well in Alipay.

Keep a day’s worth of cash: if an account is frozen, sorting it out is not quick.