How to use Alipay in China as a foreigner (2026)

Alipay is the payment app most visitors rely on in China. It works in English, with your own phone number and a foreign Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB or Diners Club card. You scan a code, confirm, and the money comes off your card. Set it up at home, where your bank and a stable connection are easy to reach.

Set it up before you fly

1. Install Alipay from your app store and switch the language to English if it does not do so automatically.
2. Register with your own mobile number and enter the text code. You do not need a Chinese number.
3. Tap Add card and enter your Visa or Mastercard. Your bank may ask you to approve the card in its own app.
4. Verify your identity with your passport when the app asks.

Keep your home SIM switched on with roaming enabled while you travel, so you still receive text codes from Alipay and your bank.

Passport verification

China’s State Council says small payments need no ID, but Alipay asks for passport verification before you can pay larger amounts or use some services. You photograph your passport and sometimes take a short face scan.

Type your name exactly as it appears in the two lines of code at the bottom of the photo page, with the same order and spacing. A name mismatch is the most common reason verification fails. Take the photo in even light without glare. If it still fails, choose manual review and wait.

Limits and fees

• Foreign visitors can pay up to US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year through mobile payment apps. Alipay may show lower limits for your own account.
• Payments of ¥200 or less carry no foreign-card fee. Above that, expect a 3% fee on the whole amount. Check the payment screen before you confirm.
• Your own bank may add a foreign transaction fee on top. Check your card’s terms.

For a large hotel bill, paying the hotel directly with your card may cost less than paying through Alipay.

Paying: scan or show

There are two ways to pay, and it helps to know both.

• Scan: tap Scan, point your camera at the shop’s QR code, type the amount, and confirm. This is how you pay at market stalls and small cafés.
• Show: open your payment code (Pay on the home screen) and let the cashier scan it. Supermarkets, convenience stores and chains usually do it this way, and it is faster.

Some small vendors display a personal payment code meant for friends, not a merchant code. Foreign cards cannot pay these. If a scan fails, show your own code instead or pay cash. Since 1 February 2026, every business in China must accept cash.

Mini-programs: taxis, metro and more

Alipay contains small apps, called mini-programs, that you open without installing anything. The most useful for visitors:

• DiDi for ride-hailing, paid straight from Alipay. See our DiDi guide.
• Metro and bus ride codes under Transport. You add a code for each city once, then scan in and out at the gates in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
• Food delivery, bike sharing and some attraction tickets.

Some mini-programs are only in Chinese. Alipay has a built-in translation feature, and a translation app with a camera mode helps for the rest.

When it goes wrong

• Card declined on the first payment: your bank probably flagged it as fraud. Approve it in your banking app or call the bank, then try again. Bring cards on two different networks, ideally Visa and Mastercard.
• No text code arrives: check that roaming is on for your home SIM.
• Vendor only has a personal code: show your code or pay cash.

Alipay rarely works alone. Set up WeChat Pay too, and carry some cash as a backup; our cash and cards guide explains how much. The payments page has the full checklist.