How to Set Up Alipay for Mobile Payments Before Traveling to China

Whether you’re booking tickets for attractions, dining in restaurants, hailing a taxi, or taking the subway, mobile payments are widely used in China. Therefore, it’s definitely worth setting up mobile payments before your trip to China!

Alipay and WeChat Pay are the two most popular mobile payment apps in China. This guide will walk you through setting up Alipay for mobile payments before you head to China.

Step 1: Download and Install Alipay

Search for and install the Alipay app from your app store.

Step 2: Register for Alipay

On the login page, click “Register,” enter your phone number and the verification code you received to register for Alipay.

Step 3: Add a Credit or Debit Card

On the homepage, click “Add Credit or Debit Card,” and enter your bank card information. Alipay accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and other major credit cards.

Step 4: Scan to Pay

Once you’ve added your bank card to Alipay, you can start making payments like a local in China!

Click “Scan” to scan the merchant’s payment code to make a payment, or click “Pay” to show your payment code to the merchant.

Notes:

• Alipay charges a 3% transaction fee for payments over 200 RMB. Payments under 200 RMB are fee-free.
• Foreigners can only make payments to merchant accounts. Personal-to-personal transfers are not allowed.
• If your payment fails, it might be due to your bank rejecting the transaction. If this happens, contact your bank for resolution.

Step 5: Identity Verification

Alipay allows new users to make payments up to 500 USD without identity verification. Once your total payment amount exceeds 500 USD, Alipay will require you to upload a passport information page for verification.

To avoid being caught up in verification after arriving in China, you can initiate the verification process before Alipay requests it.

To verify your identity, go to “Settings,” “Account & Security,” then select “Verify Now” to enter your information and upload your passport information page to complete the verification.

Step 6: Prepare Alipay Before Traveling to China

If you plan to travel with us, we can send you a payment code that you can scan to pay all or part of the deposit. This way, you can ensure that your Alipay works properly before you travel to China.