Payments
How to pay in China: set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with foreign cards, link Visa/Mastercard, top up, and troubleshoot declined payments.
Payments5 min read2026-10-18How to Pay in China: Alipay, WeChat, Cash & Foreign Cards (2026)Daily spending in China runs on mobile payments, and the most practical setup for an arriving traveler is Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to an international bank card, plus a little cash: transactions of ¥200 and under are fee-free, above that roughly 3%; cash is legal everywhere but change can be hard to come by; Visa and Mastercard are accepted only at some foreign-facing venues. Below — where each of the three methods works, what it costs, and how to prepare before departure.
Payments6 min read2026-10-18How to Link a Foreign Card to Alipay (2026): What to Prepare, Setup Steps, Fees & Common Failure CausesVisa, Mastercard, and other bank cards issued outside mainland China can be linked directly to Alipay for QR-code payments across the country. Linking requires identity verification with your passport, and registration works with your home phone number. Cross-border transactions cost about 3%, single payments of ¥200 and under are fee-free, and cards newly linked in 2026 get an additional 90-day fee-reduction period.
Payments4 min read2026-10-18Does Cash Still Matter in China? A Guide to Currency Exchange, ATM Withdrawals, and Leftover YuanThe real status of cash in China in the mobile-payment era: where exchange rates are best, which ATMs accept foreign cards, why you should carry small banknotes, and how to handle leftover yuan when leaving the country.
Payments5 min read2026-10-18China Departure Tax Refund Guide (2026 Version 2.0): RMB 200 Minimum, Instant In-Store Refunds, and Paperless ProcessingThe minimum purchase threshold has dropped to RMB 200, and "Departure Tax Refund 2.0" took effect in July 2026: a nationwide refund service code, fully paperless processing, spot checks for claims under RMB 10,000, and cross-region recognition of instant in-store refunds. It applies to overseas travelers whose continuous stay in China does not exceed 183 days; the refund rate is 11% or 8%, and at the airport you must clear customs inspection before checking your luggage.
Payments5 min read2026-10-18Linking a Foreign Card to WeChat Pay (2026) — Steps, Fees, Limits, and Common Failure FixesWeChat is more than a chat app. Link an international bank card and you can pay by QR code at tens of millions of merchants across China — single payments of ¥200 and under are fee-free; anything above costs about 3%. Registration, card linking, and identity verification all follow clear paths, and the most common cause of a failed link is a bank that has not enabled overseas transactions.