China|Travel|Travel Advice|Travel Essentials

Alipay & WeChat: Why You Need These Two Apps to Travel in China

Posted: February 11, 2020 by Kelly Branyik

China is experiencing a huge mobile payment revolution that the rest of the world really needs to get on board with. Huge companies have harnessed the power of two apps and made then a convenient way for people to pay for literally everything without the hassle and without speaking a single word.

On the off chance locals think you’re one of those foreigners who can speak a little Chinese, they may try to just tell you the total of your dinner bill or purchase at a convenience store, to which you’ll stare blankly at them as a clear indication that you flat out “ting bu dong”.

This does happen. But now human interaction between you and a store clerk can be almost completely avoided thanks to technology. No longer will you need to pull out credit cards or wads of cash to pay for everything in China. Good news friends, in China you can pay for virtually any item with the touch of a button. And here’s how.

Two Mobile Payment Apps Your Need for China Travel

One thing I absolutely love about China is the efficiency and speediness of paying for things wherever you guy or whatever you buy. These days you can leave your apartment without a wallet or cash when you want to buy something.

I have rarely how to use my personal card since being back in China again. Many youngsters in the city can say the same. I have been able to pay for everything from fresh produce on the street, groceries, meals at restaurants, to shopping malls using just my phone. It’s easier and faster than fishing through your wallet for exact change.

This can all be done using two of my favorite apps, Alipay and WeChat. The extra great news is both apps are completely free to use! I have both just to be on the safe side and I’m sure it’s the same for locals and foreigners alike. Below are some fun facts for using Alipay and WeChat in hopes you’ll download these apps for your next visit to China.

Fun Facts About Using Alipay and WeChat Mobile Payments

To give you an idea of how widely these mobile apps are used, here are some stats to blow your mind:

In 2017, 92% of China’s population uses WeChat or Alipay to purchase goods and services.
In 2016, mobile payment options in China accumulated $9 trillion in payments (the US has seen only $112 million).
To major developers for the app, Tencent and Alibaba
Tencent has 900 million average monthly users.
Alibaba has 500 million average monthly users.
In 2018, people paying with cash was down 10%.
According to Business Insider, Apple Pay has only 127 million users GLOBALLY.

How to Use WeChat (微信 & 微信支付)

One of WeChat‘s primary uses is chatting. It’s very rare that you will see a local using the messaging function on their phone to contact one another. I suspect the reason people use WeChat is because it’s easier to use and you don’t pay any extra fees or use extra data like you would sending a message from phone to phone.

WeChat is also a social media platform where you can share your photos, videos, and thoughts about things you are up to, whether that may be.

WeChat continues to develop into a one-stop source that makes it easy for both the natives of China and foreigners to use. In the WeChat app you can do the following things in both Chinese and ENGLISH.

Rent a bike
Translate Chinese text (menus, signs, notices, etc.)
Pay for your phone
Pay for your utilities
Purchase train and plane tickets
Get food delivery
Book Hotels
Purchase movie tickets
Call a Didi (China’s version of Uber)

Some of these apps are powered by the creator, Tencent. Others are powered by third party operators. WeChat accepts a very wide variety of bank and card types including AMEX. Be sure to search for the correct one carefully.

Linking Your Bank Card for WeChat mobile payment:

If you are just traveling here, you can use your name as it appears on your driver’s license or credit card. Both the name on your account and the name linked to your bank card must be the same or they will not let you use the mobile app function.

Example: John Smith (Card name) = John Smith (Account name)

If you are going to live here, every document you sign in China will have you put your last name first. In order for your China bank card to work properly, your accounts will need to look like this.

Example: Smith John (Card name) = Smith John (Account name)

If the name on your WeChat account matches the name on your bank account, you shouldn’t have any issues linking your bank card. If you are living in China you can not have both your home country card and a China bank card on the same account. I’m waiting to be proven wrong there.

Once you have your bank card linked, you are free to purchase literally anything in China, because remember 92% of people use this mobile payment app, which also means, businesses large and small are using it everywhere!

Setting Up Your WeChat Pay

Here is a good video that will help you with adding a bank card to your WeChat pay account.

How to Use Alipay (支付宝)

Alipay isn’t an app I use as often as I use WeChat, but I still use it for a lot of things in my daily life in China including grocery shopping and renting a bicycle to go to work. Many have found this app to be super useful and easy to use. Just like WeChat, it is also written in English to make it easier for you to use if you are either traveling or living in China.

Here are some of the ways you can use Alipay on your devices:

Hellobike (Bike rental service)
Money transfer
Purchase movie tickets
Purchase train and plane tickets
Food delivery
Connect with your friends to go dutch
Order car services
Monitor traffic
Hotel booking
Buy Groceries
Online Shopping

This app has endless options for use, and for locals many of these might seem more practical than they are for foreigners traveling and living in China. Unlike WeChat, the account name and the bank card names do not need to be identical and you shouldn’t run into issues linking your bank cards. If you need help, linking your bank account there is an FAQs area where you can get support for solving the issues.

Additionally, Alipay only supports Visa, Mastercard, and JCB. If you do not have any of these cards, you will not be able to link them to your Alipay account.