Alipay 支付宝

The payment app most visitors rely on in China. Pay shops by QR code with your own card, ride the metro and call taxis from inside the app.

EssentialSet up before you flyWorks with your own phone numberTakes foreign cards

App Store Android

Set it up at home

1
Install at home, on stable Wi-Fi
Download Alipay from the official store listing (publisher: Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology). Do the whole setup before you fly, with your bank app and home SIM at hand. Turn off any VPN while you set it up.
2
Register with your own phone number
Choose your country code, enter your mobile number, tap Next and type the text code. You do not need a Chinese number.
3
Check the language
Alipay usually follows your phone’s language and shows English. If it opens in Chinese, look for Settings > General > Language in your account page (bottom right) and pick English.
4
Link a card in your own name
Tap Add Now (or Add card) and enter a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover or Diners Club card issued outside mainland China. Your bank may ask you to approve it in its own app. Cards on two different networks give you a backup.
5
Verify your passport
Small payments may work without it, but Alipay asks for passport verification for larger amounts and some services. Photograph the photo page in even light, then do the short face scan if asked. Type your name exactly as in the two code lines at the bottom of the page.
6
Test it and keep your SIM reachable
Open Pay on the home screen to check that your payment code appears. Keep your home SIM switched on with roaming enabled while you travel, so you still receive text codes from Alipay and your bank. Use an eSIM for data if you like.

Using it in China

Show your code or scan theirs

Supermarkets and chains scan your code: open Pay and hold it up. At stalls and small cafés you tap Scan, point at the shop’s QR code, type the amount and confirm.

Metro and bus ride codes

Search for Transport in the app and add the ride code for each city once, ideally on hotel Wi-Fi. Then scan in and out at the gates. It works in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hangzhou.

Mini-programs: taxis, food, tickets

Search inside Alipay for DiDi to hail a car without installing another app, paid from Alipay. Food delivery, bike sharing and some attraction tickets work the same way. Some are only in Chinese; use Alipay’s built-in translation or a camera translator.

Check the fee before you confirm

Payments of ¥200 or less carry no foreign-card fee; above that, expect about 3% on the whole amount, shown on the payment screen. The limit is US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year. For a big hotel bill, paying the hotel by card may cost less.

Problems and fixes

My card is declined when I add it or on the first payment

Your bank probably flagged it as fraud. Open your banking app, approve the payment or turn on online and overseas payments, then try again. After three failed tries, stop and use another card, because repeated failures trigger extra checks.

Passport verification keeps failing

Copy your name from the two code lines at the bottom of the passport page, with the same order and spacing. Retake the photo flat, in even light, without glare from the hologram. If it still fails, choose manual review. If the app locks you out after several tries, wait a day before trying again.

It says the cardholder name does not match

The card must be in your own name and match your passport name. A partner’s or parent’s card will not work. If your card shows a shortened name or initials, try another card that shows your full name.

The text code never arrives

Check the country code and that roaming is on for your home SIM. Wait a minute before tapping resend, and check any filter for unknown or international senders. Restarting the phone often helps.

My account is restricted or asks for extra checks

This is Alipay’s security check, often after failed payments, a new phone or a VPN. Turn off the VPN and follow the prompts in the app, such as a face scan. If it stays blocked, contact Alipay through the in-app help or call +86 571 2688 6000 (8:00 to 24:00 China time).

Scanning a small shop’s code fails

It is probably a personal code meant for friends, which foreign cards cannot pay. Show your own payment code and let the vendor scan it, or pay cash. Every business must accept cash.

The metro gate rejects my ride code

Make sure you opened the code for the city you are in, and that you added it before reaching the gate, since there may be no signal underground. Turn the screen brightness up. If it still fails, buy a single ticket at the machine or ask staff at the service counter.

I cannot send money to a friend or receive a transfer

That is expected. With a foreign card, Alipay only pays merchants: no person-to-person transfers and no red packets. To split a bill, one person pays the shop and the others settle up another way.