How to pay in China
Almost everyone pays by phone. Here is how to do it with your own card, and what to carry as a backup.
- Link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay and WeChat before you fly. Paying by phone works almost everywhere.
- Payments of ¥200 or less have no foreign-card fee. Above that, expect a 3% fee.
- Carry some cash as a backup. Since 1 February 2026, every business in China must accept cash.
- Hotels rated three stars and up, major attractions and airports take foreign cards directly. Small shops usually do not.
Ways to pay
Scan the shop’s code or show yours. Limits are US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year. With a foreign card you can pay shops, but you cannot send money to friends or receive transfers.
Hotels rated three stars and up, 4A and 5A attractions and resorts are required to accept foreign cards, and most airports and big chains do too. Apple Pay works mainly at international hotels. Shenzhen Metro accepts contactless cards at the gate.
Bank of China ATMs take Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB and UnionPay, up to ¥3,000 per withdrawal; your own bank sets the fees. You can also exchange money at bank branches with your passport. Every business must accept cash, including small bills and coins.
Since August 2026, US PayPal users can pay at Weixin Pay codes straight from the PayPal app, without any Chinese app. It pays from your PayPal balance.
Getting VAT back when you leave
Visitors who have been in mainland China for 183 days or less can get back about 8 to 11% of the price. Refunds up to ¥20,000 are paid in cash.
Look for the tax refund sign. Ask for the refund form and the invoice when you pay.
Many shops pay the refund immediately. You sign an agreement and the shop places a hold on your credit card until you leave China.
At the airport, show the goods, the forms, the invoices and your passport to customs, then collect your refund or release the card hold.
Good to know
Tipping is not expected in restaurants or taxis, and staff may refuse it. Private guides and drivers are the exception.
Haggling is normal at markets and souvenir stalls, but not in shops with fixed prices.
When something goes wrong
The bank’s text code never arrives
Keep your home SIM on with roaming turned on so it can receive texts, and use an eSIM for data. Link your cards at home before you travel, so you are not relying on codes abroad.
A street vendor’s code will not take my payment
It is probably a personal code, which foreign cards cannot pay. Show your payment code and let the vendor scan it, or pay cash. The vendor must accept cash.
I was charged a fee on a small payment
The ¥200 threshold applies to each payment, and your own bank may add a foreign transaction fee on top. Check your card’s terms.
Checked against official sources on September 27, 2026.
- State Council: payment services for foreigners · 2024-04-11
- Tencent: Weixin Pay for inbound visitors · 2026-05-27
- Beijing government: Weixin Pay card networks · 2025-05-28
- Bank of China: foreign cards at BOC ATMs · 2026-01-05
- PayPal: pay like a local at Weixin Pay merchants across China · 2026-08-11
- State Council: departure tax refund changes · 2025-04-27
- Beijing government: buy and refund on the spot · 2025-04-24
- DotDotNews: new rules require all businesses to accept cash (effective 2026-02-01) · 2025-12-23