WeChat, Alipay & payments

1. Register WeChat with a foreign phone number

1. Install WeChat from your official app store. Open it, tap Sign Up → Sign up via mobile.
2. Choose your country/region, enter your own mobile number (it must receive SMS) and follow the prompts. WeChat supports numbers from more than 200 countries and regions.
3. If asked for assisted registration, an existing WeChat user nearby scans the QR code shown on your screen. The helper's eligibility rules vary by country and are shown on screen; ask a friend who has used WeChat for a while.
4. No helper? WeChat offers alternatives on the same screen: Verify via Payment Card, or Verify and Activate Weixin Pay.
5. Don't use a VPN or an unofficial app version while registering; WeChat's help centre says this can cause sign-up to fail.

One phone number can register one WeChat account. Source: WeChat Help Center.

2. Link a Visa / Mastercard to WeChat Pay

1. Update WeChat to the latest version.
2. Go to Me → Pay and Services → Wallet → Bank Cards → Add a Bank Card.
3. Agree to the terms, enter your identity details (passport) and card number.
4. If you verify with a passport you'll be asked to upload a copy of it. Finish any bank authentication.
5. To pay: tap + → Money (or Pay and Services → Money) to show your payment code, or scan the merchant's QR code.

3. Set up Alipay with a foreign card

1. Install Alipay (the blue app, not AlipayHK) and register with your own phone number. Switch the language to English in settings if needed.
2. Add your Visa, Mastercard or other international card in the bank card section and verify your identity with your passport when prompted.
3. Pay by showing the Pay code to the cashier or tapping Scan on a merchant QR code.
4. Useful inside Alipay: the Nanjing metro ride code, DiDi rides, and translation mini-programs.

Official guidance from Chinese city governments (e.g. Shanghai) states that small payments with an overseas card in Alipay are generally fee-free, with a fee on larger single payments. Alipay also offers a prepaid “Tour Card” (formerly Tour Pass) for visitors. Check fees in-app.

4. Cash and cards as backup

Carry some Chinese yuan (RMB) in small notes. Merchants are expected to accept cash, and it saves you if a phone battery dies. International cards are accepted at many hotels, large malls and big restaurants, but small shops rely on QR codes.

5. Mobile data and eSIM basics

• Roaming on your home plan is the simplest option. Check your carrier's China rate.
• Travel eSIMs can be bought online before you leave. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, and install it at home over Wi-Fi.
• Local SIM cards from Chinese carriers are sold at the airport and carrier shops with your passport (real-name registration).
• Which overseas apps and services work depends on how your data connects. Ask your provider, and keep WeChat, Alipay and a local map app such as Amap (高德地图) or Baidu Maps installed as your on-the-ground toolkit. Download offline translation packs before you go.

6. Visa-free entry and 240-hour transit

30-day unilateral visa-free entry

Ordinary-passport holders from 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most EU countries, may enter for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit. For most of these countries the policy currently runs until 31 December 2026. The 30 days are counted from the day after entry.

240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit

The former 144-hour transit policy has been replaced by a 240-hour scheme covering 57 countries, including the United States. You must be travelling onward to a third country or region (for example USA → China → Japan), hold a confirmed onward ticket, and stay within the permitted area. Nanjing Lukou International Airport is an eligible entry port, and the permitted area for it is Jiangsu Province.

Tell your airline at check-in that you're using visa-free transit, and keep your onward booking easy to show.

Frequently asked questions