China Layover Guide

Payments that actually work

China is nearly cashless, but Visa/Mastercard and Apple/Google Pay have limited acceptance. The workaround: link your foreign card to Alipay, WeChat Pay, or TenPayGo before you travel.

Payment setup recommender

Tell us what you carry and we’ll suggest the setup that works offline in China.

You are well set up: link your Visa card to the big two apps.

  1. Alipay: Download Alipay, sign up with your phone number, and add your Visa card.

    Works for most QR payments. Small transaction fees may apply after a threshold.

  2. WeChat Pay: Add the same Visa card to WeChat Pay as a backup.

    Some merchants only accept WeChat Pay.

  3. TenPayGo: Open TenPayGo and link your Visa card to pay offline via WeChat Pay.

    Built for foreign travelers; bridges Visa/Mastercard to offline WeChat Pay.

  4. Cash: Carry a small amount of RMB (¥200–500) as a fallback.

    Cards are often rejected at small vendors; cash is accepted but change can be an issue.

  • Apple Pay / Google Pay tap-to-pay is not the norm; QR codes are.
  • Keep your physical card as an emergency backup, but do not expect it to work everywhere.
  • Apple Pay itself is not widely accepted offline in China. Use the Alipay/WeChat Pay apps instead — your linked card does the paying.

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