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

DiDi is China’s main ride-hailing app, the local equivalent of Uber. It works in English, with your own phone number and a foreign card, and it is often the easiest way to get from a hotel to a restaurant or across town late at night. You can use it in two ways: as its own app, or inside Alipay.

The DiDi app or DiDi inside Alipay

The DiDi app. Install the app published by Didi Chuxing (Beijing) Network Platform Technology Co., Ltd; copycat apps with similar names exist. Its App Store listing promises:

• an English interface and sign-in with a foreign mobile number
• payment with international bank cards
• chat with drivers that translates between English and Chinese
• bilingual customer service around the clock

Some travelers report that DiDi refuses to add their foreign card. If that happens, do not keep trying.

DiDi inside Alipay. Open Alipay, search for DiDi and open the mini-program. You do not need a separate account, and the fare is paid through Alipay with the card you already linked. Parts of the mini-program may be in Chinese, but the booking screens are simple and Alipay can translate.

Many visitors set up both: the app for the English chat, Alipay as the backup.

Booking a ride

1. Set your pickup point. The app uses your location. Move the pin to a spot where a car can actually stop, not the middle of a pedestrian street. Big hotels, stations and malls often have marked pickup points.
2. Enter your destination. English names work for well-known places, but the Chinese name or address is more reliable. Copy it from your booking confirmation or from our sight pages.
3. Choose a car type. The standard option is the cheapest. In many cities you can also call a regular taxi through the app.
4. Check the plate number in the app before you get in. Car colour and model are shown too.

The driver may call you when arriving. If you do not speak Chinese, reply in the chat instead; it will be translated.

Paying

The fare is charged automatically when the trip ends, to your card in the DiDi app or through Alipay in the mini-program. You do not hand over cash or scan anything in the car. Tipping is not expected.

Through Alipay, the usual foreign-card rule applies: no fee on payments of ¥200 or less, and expect a 3% fee above that. Most city rides cost well under ¥200.

Show the address in Chinese

Drivers rarely read English, and pinyin spellings can point to the wrong place. Keep your hotel’s Chinese name and address saved on your phone. On every sight page, for example the Forbidden City, you can open the Chinese name and address full-screen to show your driver.

Airport pickups

Collect your luggage first, then book. Chinese airports have signed pickup areas for ride-hailing cars, often in a car park level, and the app shows where to meet. Follow the signs for online ride-hailing (网约车). The official taxi rank is a good alternative if the queue for rides is long; see our guide to taking a taxi in China.

Safety

Ride-hailing in China is generally safe. Still:

• Only get into a car whose plate matches the app.
• Sit in the back.
• Learn where the app’s emergency button and trip-sharing feature are before your first ride. The emergency button lets you call the police (110).

Amap as an alternative

Since August 2026, Amap Global, the international version of China’s main map app, lets visitors book rides in English. You sign in with a mobile number from one of 65 countries and regions and pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to your card. If DiDi is not cooperating, it is a useful second option.

Set up Alipay before you fly, and see the apps checklist for everything else to install.