Ever since China began expanding its visa-free travel and 72/144-hour visa-free transit policies to more countries last year, have you had any friends or family members who have come to Beijing to visit since then? Anyone you know planning to come? What sort of essential tips would you give them? The Beijinger is running a new series providing such essential tips for short-term visitors to the capital. We hope it’ll make things easier for overseas visitors, and help make your life easier inviting and receiving visitors from back home. Check it out and give us your feedback below!
Paying for things in China can, for some, be as smooth as silk, while others might find trouble getting off the ground or getting everything registered to go on one of the country’s big two apps, WeChat and Alipay.
One of the respondents to our questionnaire accompanying these articles had a story relating to today’s topic, about a family visiting China who ran into some easily avoidable trouble:
A career businesswoman who hadn’t been to China in over ten years visited with her family. They assumed they wouldn’t need a Chinese SIM with local number, a good step to take when getting connected after landing, and just opted to use international roaming to get around. No big deal right?
China has changed a lot in the past ten years. The biggest change is that most places only accept mobile payments, no cash, no cards. Although some places do accept card or cash, many businesses have grown so accustomed to mobile payment that they don’t have the proper change, or sometimes don’t accept card.
In order to avoid this situation, your best bet is to first get a SIM at the airport. Then, you can go about getting set up to use WeChat or Alipay on your phone to pay for just about anything.
Mobile Payment
The most popular and convenient payment method in China is via your mobile phone, but keep in mind that the payment apps you are used to using in your home country may be uncommon here. The two most commonly accepted apps are WeChat and Alipay.
Below are some step-by-step instructions on how to bind your bank card with these apps:
How to Connect Your Bank Card with Alipay
- Download the Alipay App from the Android or iOS app store.
- Complete the registration process.
- Click “Me.”
- Select “Bank Cards.”
- Select “Add bank cards” (Visa, Mastercard, and JCB can all be added to Alipay)
- Tap “Add Now” and follow the on-screen instruction to complete the process.
- Congratulations, now you can use Alipay to make payments!
- To pay for offline purchases, you can choose to “Scan” the merchant’s QR code or have a merchant scan yours by clicking the “pay/receive” icon.
- Alipay English Service Hotline +86-571 2688 600
How to Connect Your Bank Card with WeChat Pay
- Download the WeChat app from the Android or iOS app store.
- Complete the registration process.
- Click “Me.”
- Click “WeChat Pay.”
- Select “Wallet.”
- Select “Cards.”
- Select “Add a Card” (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express. Diners Club, and Discovery cards can all be added to WeChat Pay).
- Follow on-screen instructions to complete the process.
- Congratulations, now you can use WeChat Pay to make payments!
- To pay for offline purchases, you can choose to “Scan” the merchant’s QR code or have a merchant scan yours by clicking the “pay/receive” icon.
- WeChat Pay English Service Hotline +86-571 95017
Debit or Credit Cards
Debit and Credit cards with Union Pay, Visa or Mastercard logos are accepted by most major commercial venues. However, with the rise of mobile payments, cards are becoming less and less commonly accepted, and this is especially true with smaller venues like standalone restaurants, bars and streetside shops.
Cash
All merchants in China are required to accept RMB cash, and you may withdraw RMB from bank counters and ATM machines at the airport and around the city. However, bear in mind that cash is increasingly uncommon in daily transactions, and merchants are so accustomed to electronic payments that they may not have the proper change for larger notes.
Look for ATM machines around the city with the following logos. These will be able to use the following bank cards to withdraw cash in RMB. Don’t get frustruated if an ATM machine doesn’t work with your card. All you need to do is find one with the correct logos and you’ll be good to go.
For more information on making payments in China, including with the new e-RMB, you can read the Guide to Payment Services in China.
READ: Welcome to Beijing: Getting Connected When You Land
Images: Unsplash, Beijing Service (for illustrations)