How to use mobile payment?

(i) Foreign nationals can download and install apps such as WeChat, Alipay, or UnionPay on their phones, and register accounts using foreign or Chinese phone numbers and other information and follow the prompts on the page to add bank cards.

(ii) Bank cards with Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, and Discover logos can be added. Additionally, foreign nationals can apply for an E-Money Card on the UnionPay app, top it up, and use it for everyday payments.

(iii) Payments can be made by scanning a collection QR code or by showing the user's payment QR code.

Notes on adding bank cards issued overseas:

To add bank cards to payment apps requires verification by card issuers. If verification fails, please contact the customer service of payment apps or issuing banks for help.

The scope of bank card brands, payment limits, and fees may vary with different payment apps. Please refer to the app prompts and service agreements for details.

(iv) Users of AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China), MPay (Macao Special Administrative Region, China), Kakao Pay (ROK), Touch'n Go eWallet (Malaysia), HiPay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC (Singapore), Naver Pay (ROK), Toss Pay (ROK), TrueMoney (Thailand), GCash (Philippines), Kaspi (Kazakhstan), and NayaPay (Pakistan) can use these e-wallets to pay directly in China by scanning QR codes.

Source: A Guide to Working and Living in China as Business Expatriates (2026 Edition) issued by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China