Paying in China as a visitor: Alipay, WeChat Pay and when you still need cash

China is a QR-code economy. Set up one app before you land and you can pay for a skewer, a taxi and a museum ticket with your home card.

Almost everything in China is paid by scanning a QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both now accept foreign Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards: install the app before you travel, add your card, verify your passport in the app, and you are set. Alipay is the simpler of the two for visitors and also opens DiDi (taxis), train tickets and most attraction bookings inside the app.

Limits and fees. Small payments (under about 200 yuan) carry no fee; larger ones carry a 3% foreign-card fee. There are annual limits in the tens of thousands of dollars, which no tourist reaches.

When you still need cash. Temple donation boxes, some village stalls and the occasional old taxi. Draw 500–1,000 yuan at an airport ATM on arrival and you will probably bring most of it home. Bank of China and ICBC ATMs take foreign cards.

Your guide's tip. Set up Alipay at home while you still have your normal phone number for the verification SMS. Setting it up on a Chinese eSIM is possible but slower.