How Foreigners Can Use WeChat Pay in China? Mobile Payments 

Hey, I am so glad that you find the video helpful. Wishing you a fruitful and enjoyable trip to China.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video and find it helpful. Have a safe and wonderful trip to China

Hey glad you enjoyed the video. WeChat Pay is ubiquitous in China but I don’t think Korea uses WeChat for payments. And wishing you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Yes you can!

So glad it had been helpful!

Thanks for watching and glad to be helpful. Wishing you a safe and happy trip to China.

Glad it was helpful! Have a safe and fruitful trip

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for watching! Hope it has been helpful

Glad it was helpful! And thanks for watching.

Glad it was helpful! And have a great trip to China!

Glad it was helpful!

Hi, did you managed to survive without Wechat and Alipay for payments?

@@gibbontravelogue thanks this is very helpful for my trip in few weeks :) . Any suggestions on vpn?

@@gibbontravelogue also I set up wechat today and they seems to be allowing 3500 rmb transaction without Identity verification

I setup Alipay link to my VISA credit card and is a lot easier

Thanks you. Hope it has been useful to you. You can also check out using Alipay, there’s a video on it as well

You are so welcome. Hope it had been helpful.

Thanks! Glad it helped!

Thanks for supporting the channel! Really appreciated the comment 😊

So glad that this video is useful to you. Have a safe trip to China

Are you in China now? Please tell me how it goes there? I am willing to go soon

@@liightnesss5849 It’s a wonderful place and loads of places to visit, things to do and food to savour. You won’t regret it.

@@gibbontravelogue glad to hear! China is my dream country so I know I won't regret it. How can I contact you if I have some questions ?

@@liightnesss5849 Sure. You can contact me at gibbontravelogue@gmail.com

Glad it was helpful and thanks for the compliments. So far, it has been quite safe as long as the payments are done in legit shops and restaurants.

I setup Alipay link to my VISA credit card and is a lot easier

Hi! I’m a student at Communication University of China majoring in International Journalism. I’m currently conducting a research on foreign tourists’ payment problem in when traveling in China. If you would like to talk more on the topic, please let me know. Thank you a lot for your attention and kindness! :)

The problem I had with WeChat was ,not all payments WeChat will accept, 150.00 yuan or more , WeChat will asked for confirmation by SMS , but they will send text messages to my home phone numbers,but while in China ,I turned off my mobile network,because of the Roaming charges, in the case ,I used Alipay for the payment, Alipay will never had problems, but Alipay will charge me 5%for the service.!!!!

Actually, my WeChat and Alipay accounts are set to English and in many ways you can make purchase (scan or be scanned) without the need to know Chinese.

Glad you think so!

You are welcome. Hope this video is helpful to you.

Thanks and hope it is helpful to you.

Glad it was helpful! Cheers!

谢谢！

Hey glad you enjoyed it!

Most welcome! and thanks for supporting the channel!

That is correct. Just like in any transaction, eg credit card, a receipt will be issued for you to check and ensure the amount is correct. If not, merchant will need to refund you.

Thanks for watching and hope the video has been helpful. To show the QR code for merchant to scan you, there are two ways; at the + sign, tap on “money” or go to Me, Services and then “money”. I think for the latter, there could be some variation among the various international versions of the app.

Nah, shouldn’t be. It’s at the second last line after clicking on the Discover tab.

Either way is fine. But it’s always better to do the prep work earlier than later.

Thank you for swift response 😬🤗

👋 we are from Singapore. All visa and master cards including from Maybank and HSBC should be able to link to both WeChat pay and Alipay. Give it a try and see if you successfully link it.

The fx is fixed by the card issuer and the scheme eg Visa or Mastercard. WeChat is merely the merchant here in this case.

Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, the Shaanxi History Museum is definitely worth visiting. To get the ticket, you can either 预约 via the Mei Tuan mini app on WeChat or on the Mei Tuan app itself. 12,000 tickets daily are issued and reservations for the tickets can be done up to 7 days in advance. However, foreigners will find it hard as a Chinese ID is necessary. What i did is to make a manual reservation in person at the museum and went back another day to visit. Alternatively we can sign up via Klook or Viator for a fee combined with other attractions.

Glad that you find the information helpful. If you have already used the Canadian number to register for WeChat, the number will become the userid and you will also choose a password. When you are in China and are using another number, you can still enter the Canadian number as the userid and password to login in. Just don’t use sms otp to login. It should be ok.

@@gibbontravelogue Thank you so much for your prompt reply! It is really helpful and informative! Glad that I find your channel and hope that I can learn more from your advice! All the best!

Typically no. But credit card issuers do mark up on the FX

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

Never really tried that. Could be worth trying. Let me know.

From what i understand, there is no provision on the WeChat app to add anything other than credit/debit card for foreigners

No need for a phone number. You will just need data access, WiFi or roaming data is good.

You can register using either credit card or debit card. Hope the video is useful to you.

Glad you find it useful. Hope you are able to resolve the sign up problem

No need. Foreigners can simply use your own local number to register. Subsequently, you just need mobile data access and you should be good.

The credit card company will treat the transaction as a payment, with WeChat as a merchant. WeChat will then settle separately with the end merchant

Hey, 👋 no longer the case. It works for p2p payments as well.

Yes, you should be able to link your debit card. As far as i know, Visa and master cards are supported.

Yes, u should be able to.

Hi, thanks for watching the video. Yes, you can download WeChat from your home country with your own local mobile number. You can register and then link your locally issued credit card to this account. When u arrive in China, you can simply scan the QR code or show your QR code for scanning. It should work, no need to delete and re-install. If you cannot find Services in your menu, could you go to the chat function, then tap on the + at the top right to activate scan or money?

@@gibbontravelogue thank you for following up on my reply. I had a look, you are correct, on the + at the top right, I can see the "Money" option as alternative way to add the bank card. thank you so much.

@@WM-eg4gh fantastic! Have a great trip in China!

That’s great! Yes, you should be. Have a great trip!

Best of luck! And wishing you a safe and wonderful trip to China!

Thanks for the very nice compliments and encouragement. Hope the videos are helpful to you. 😊

I was using Google Map all the time. But the locals use Baidu and Gaode maps.

Thanks again!! Love your channel.

I use local Map apps to navigate while in China, as it is more accurate. Currently has been using Gaode and it even tell me all the available transport route to get to the destinations, including which exit from the subway, traffic condition etc. Howbeit it is only in Chinese language.

@@mglee1431 That nice! I just came back from Guangzhou last week. Baidu map works beautifully

When you select money at the + menu at the top right of the screen, you will come across the source of fund under the QR code. If you see balance, it means that the payment will be paid using the wallet balance. You can change that to the debit card that you have previously added.

you have to change the region to China, that way the RM becomes a RMB. If RM meaning still wechat Malaysia. Once region in China, you repeat the process by linking your card with WeChat Pay China. Then all your transaction will be deducted from your linked card. There is also a wallet function but I believe only people in China can use the wallet function because it requires a bank from China to topup. However, I think when your friend in China send RMB to you.. it goes to your wallet and you can use it @gibbontravelogue can confirm ?

Hey! You will need to get either a data roaming service or a local SIM card as you will need to be online to use WeChat or Alipay. BTW, Beijing is awesome!

@@gibbontravelogue Thanks

You can pay offline if it's others scanning your QR code and your QR code is setup. But you have to be online to scan others' QR code.

Interesting. I use a Citibank card, but a Mastercard. Perhaps you want to check with Citibank and see if that was indeed the problem.

As far as i know, topping up the WeChat wallet is not an option for foreigners who do not have a Chinese bank account. The only option is to link your credit card or debit card to WeChat. 1:22

Yes, the top up wallet option is not available for foreigners.

@@gibbontravelogue got it. But even I managed to link my non Chinese bank card successfully. I am unable to make payment to other WeChat users.

When your WeChat account is linked to your credit card, you can then use it for payments of good and services. You will not be able to make peer to peer transfers which mean you cannot send money, but able to make payments.

I setup Alipay link to VISA credit card and is a lot easier..

Hey, no this isn’t. You cannot link a non Chinese bank account for the WeChat wallet. For foreigners, you can only link your credit or debit card which is issued in your home country to your WeChat pay

Hey, that’s the one you find in your local AppStore

How do we change the region?

@@raymondyeap3620 you will specific your region when u register for your AppleID. It will always default to your local appatore

Can you try clicking on the + icon on the top right of your chat page?

Try this. Open WeChat > Tap More Options > WeChat Security Center > Unfreeze Account > Unfreeze, and follow the instructions.

Glad it was helpful. Not sure why. What is the error message that you get?

Yes, American Express cards should be accepted.

No worries, found the answer in the comment sections :) thank you for this video, very helpful

That's an interesting question. I believe you should be able to do so in an SG merchant that accepts WeChat. Let me know once you have tried that.

Yes, the wallet is not possible for foreigners as they require a bank account. I believe it has to do with anti-money laundering measures.

@@gibbontravelogue i tried that... I had my friend send me ewallet money but i have to enter a local bank account number in order to accept the money, back to square one.

The 3% charge is for foreigners who linked their credit or debit card, likely for WeChat to cover the cost of the fees charged by their visa/mastercard acquirers. For locals, they will linked their bank accounts to WeChat.

Hey hope you enjoyed the video. In terms of merchant adoption, both are accepted everywhere. I would advise setting up both, in case one doesn’t work, u have a back up. My slight preference is WeChat, simply because there is a chat function.

@@gibbontravelogue ,thank you sir.

Thanks for watching the video. Once you have registered and added the visa credit or debit card to the WeChat account, you are good to go. When you make a payment by scanning the QR code, the amount in RMB is charged to your card. The foreign exchange rate will be set by your bank that issued the card.

事实上你可能不需要取出现金，中国并不需要支付小费，一切都在线上支付。祝你旅途愉快：）

Yes, it has.

Thanks for watching our video and hope it has been useful to you. Not sure on the process but I am sure you can recover your the same mobile id. At the login page of WeChat there is an “unable to login” option, Click on that and it will allow you to submit a request and an sms will be sent to your mobile number. Instructions will follow when WeChat approves the request.

@gibbontravelogue689 it does. Have tried that whole process. After the process it askes me to name the user name of 2 people who were on my contact list during the last login. And also have to ask those wwo people to grant access to me. That is so so many years back and i have no idea who they were and if they still use wechat as it is not used in my country

I had this problem before. I think WeChat blocked dormant/logout accounts. No way to terminate or re-install from Google Play or ask friends to verify. No response after writing to Help Center. Then I chanced upon a reputable HK financial webinar (can't remembered company) which readily accept new viewers to receive the financial news. I registered via QR code n was prompted to register a new WeChat account. Fortunately I now have a WeChat account. Hope the info helps.

Yes, you can!

Yes, you can use any mobile number to register for WeChat. You just need to make sure you are holding that SIM card for any otp verification.

@@gibbontravelogue Thank you

Thanks for watching our video and Yes you can link it to your debit card.

@@gibbontravelogue thank you

@@gibbontravelogue hi, just to confirm. no need to top up balance right? once connected to debit card payment will automatically deducted from my local bank account? thanks before.

@@angelaprilia Hey that’s correct. There is no wallet so no need to top up.

@@gibbontravelogue thanks very much. so helpful!

Well, I would keep both. You never which account may fail you and you will have a back up.

You should find discover at the bottom menu. Tap on discover and you should see mini program, which is the 2nd last item of the menu.

@@gibbontravelogue yes I have found it. Thanks for this wonderful vid

Yes, debit card is accepted as far as I onow

Actually, it can. Have used it

Thank you very much. I’m travelling to China this April. Really appreciate your sharings

Actually debit cards are better choice, because some merchants use their personal accounts which can not be payed by credit cards.

@@ignitemoment now both credit or debit cards have no problem with payments to personal WeChat accounts

Tap on the + at the top right. Do you see scan and money? If so, you are ready. Do also ensure you have linked your credit/debit card to the app.

Scan and Money are at the + sign. However, my credit card is disabled when I try to scan a friend’s QR code.

@@user-gz3jg3yp1dI am not very sure but scanning could only be done china. outside may not work.

Try checking with your bank regarding this.

Not true. You just have to register for it. If the account turns inactive for a period, you will have to re-activate and one of the methods is to have your contact friend verify you.

What card did you use to link? Any error message that you can share?

Glad that you enjoyed the video! Yes, the WeChat mini apps will allow you to do the bookings. For three metro rides, you can buy the tickets using WeChat at the ticketing machine. So one can pay for 4.

Sorry, can you please clarify...Can I buy 2 - 4 metro or train tickets directly on mini app WITHOUT going to a ticket machine or ticket window? Thanks!!

@@katew4099 From my understanding, you won’t be able to buy the metro/subway tickets from the app. The tickets have to be purchased from the ticketing machine, which will dispense the physical tickets. The purchase at the machine can be paid by scanning the QR code with your WeChat App.

Ahhh, thanks so much for your reply! Btw, I'm loving your & your wife's content & joie de vivre. Newly subscribed! ​@@gibbontravelogue

Thanks again for the clarification!!

I presume that your RMB is stored in a multi-currency wallet that come with a visa or master debit card. I’ve not tried it but you can see if the top up can be done by linking the debit card to WeChat.

I uses AlipayHK, a Hong Kong version, and top-up RMB in convenient stores n many retail venues in HK. Check if u can do that in China’s version…

You are not allowed to use Wechat wallet without Chinese bank account.

@@jinifith That’s right.

For small bills, it is better to use Alipay or Wechat. For large bils, it is better to pay with cash (long distance taxi) or card(4/5star hotels, brand shops, expensive restaurants etc).

You don’t top up the wallet, that’s for the Chinese locals. You link your credit/debit card to WeChat Pay. Take your time to watch the video, you should be able to do it.

Hi, unfortunately most of the restaurants and shops do not accept credit card payments. Maybe some will accept UnionPay cards… so if u dun have a WeChat or Alipay, it will be inconvenient. Come to think of it, even cash is not readily accepted.

​@@gibbontravelogue*The app is completely USELESS, ​ only time you can use it is when the merchant submitted application to use Visa which is very very few in mainland CHINA (only very big shops or big star hotels)*

No, I’m afraid there is no such feature in the WeChat wallet. As a matter of fact, China has become so cashless that merchants are reluctant to take and handle cash.

Hey, it’s 60k Rmb in a calendar year. In your example, you only have 10k rmb left to spend for your account.

@@gibbontravelogue thanks

Hi, I read another article somewhere that talks about using Wechat to make payment in China as a foreigner visiting China. He describes basically the same like you. However, he also cautions that linking to a foreign bank may look ok, but when you use Wechat to make payment in China, you may find the transaction not going through. When that happens, the tourist in China may get stuck without any means to make any purchase if without cash or other methods of payments. I think I would bring some cash along just in case the Wechat payment method does not work. Thanks for the info.

@@seans2551 Yes, always good to bring some cash just in case. In addition to that, you can also set up Alipay as a backup

If no mobile phone, you probably have to use physical cash

Glad it was helpful!

Can! Proven!

Thank you - my limited understanding so far is, I could pay (using the barcode / QR Code generated from my Apps. BUT we cannot top up cash right?@@gibbontravelogue

Sure. Have you been able to follow the steps?

@@gibbontravelogue​​ yes but I can't activate my account because I don't know anyone in Italy who uses WeChat

Have you registered the WeChat account?

If you have a WeChat account that’s already linked to a bank card (debit card) issued by your own country bank, the answer is yes. You should be able to make QR code payment in China. For your second question, whether a WeChat account can make a payment to an Alipay account, yes this was enabled in 2022.

@@gibbontravelogue I am very happy for your interpretation thank you so much 🙏🏽❤️ Today I also have another problem to ask you I can not top up my Alipay account because I’m no have bank account in Mainland China visacard mastercard in my country can’t top up money to my Alipay account Is there any way I can set up a mainland Chinese bank account remotely in my country? I have tried many ways, but I can’t do it because I do not have Chinese nationality. I do not have any ill intentions that are against the law​ I just want to study the market and buy products from China to sell in my country Because App alibaba 1688 does not accept payment from visacard mastercard in my country​ Let me apologize if I bother you​ 🙏🏽❤️​ Thanks

@@jorndea5808 Hey that’s precisely what the video tries to do. You will not be able to use the digital wallet and open a Chinese bank account. So what u can do is to use your own local bank card (debit or credit card) and link it to your Alipay account for purchases in China.

@@gibbontravelogue Oh no, I have already connected visacard & mastercard with my alipay account and the problem is I still can not top up my alipay account, However, in the alipay account, there is an operation called Tour card, but this transaction can only top up the alipay account for 10,000 yuan, valid for only 60 days. My alipay account will be closed and I can't longer top up my transaction, In particular, my wei xin pay can make payments with Pin doudou, I am usually very skeptical​ wei xin pay is really easy, not as hard as that alipay account I hope one day Alipay will update I thank you very much for your explanation🙏🏽❤️🥰

@@gibbontravelogue Hello Gibbontravelogues I want you to help me make a video clip​ ,How to transfer money from wei xin pay to alipay account Because I do not know how to do​ it, &​ How to scan money transfer wei xin pay to alipay account and alipay to wei xin pay account I really want to know how to do it,​ I hope you missed this video clip because I think it is important all over the world.​ I thank you very much🙏🏽❤️🥰

Hey! In this case, it’s not the credit card charging you the 3%, it’s WeChat. Which country are u from?

@@gibbontravelogue Australia. I mean after WeChat charge for 3% then credit card also charge for overseas transactions. How about AliPay?

Is it only possible to bind a credit card? Can a VISA debit card be bound?

@@donnayeo7343 Debit card is fine too.

@@cellmate69 it is the same for Alipay too. For some countries, there are apps that carry WeChat or Alipay api’s that don’t charge the 3%

Sorry do you mind elaborating a little bit

No data, no connection, you would not be able to use the WeChat app. So you will need to get roaming data from your home telco, an e-sim operator or a local sim. For local sim, there will be a lot of apps that you will not be able to use such as google map, facebook, RU-vid etc

@@gibbontravelogue "For local sim, there will be a lot of apps that you will not be able to use such as google map, facebook, RU-vid etc" ====> Known and noted. I never mind social media. Focus is always on money. No money, no talk, no trip. Local SIM is a better bet for me coz don't know how long eSIM data lasts while overseas "on roaming" (scary issue) . Will bring physical credit card as a backup just in case as well. Thanks.

@@spaceinvader384 Sure, a local sim should be find then. But the physical credit card will not be of much use in China though. Unless it is a UnionPay card.

Hmm what do u mean? You can’t link your credit card to the account? Or you can link successfully but cannot scan the WeChat QR code?

@@gibbontravelogue I tried sending a red envelope now for Chinese New Year . But the card cannot be used for transactions. I tried more than one international card

I see. For foreigners, we can only link the credit card for payments of goods and services only. It cannot be used for peer-to- peer transfers, like red envelope. That’s only through the wallet which can only be funded by a Chinese bank account.

What about credit card? Did you mean if you can link your WeChat account to your credit card? Yes.

Yes you can but from my experience, the money is going to be stuck for a while till the strict verifications are completed.

You can’t top up the wallet without a Chinese bank account. As a foreigner, you can link your local credit or debit card to your WeChat account to start making payments

Hmm… that shouldn’t be the case.

My WeChat ID is gilbertchuah. You can contact me and will see if i can be of any help.

​@@gibbontravelogue*I'm heading to China I'm kind of worried* *sorry to bother you but as I mentioned the app is completely USELESS, ​only time you can use it is when the merchant submitted application to use Visa which is very very few in mainland CHINA (only very big shops or big star hotels)*

​@@gibbontravelogue*Only if they are registered to use Visa card or MasterCard POS system otherwise no matter what card you link, unless it is from China, it would not work*

That’s not my experience. I am not a Chinese national butI have successfully linked my non-Chinese credit card to my WeChat account. I have no problems using it for my payments in China.

Yes, your passport number and details are required. A copy of your passport is also required to be uploaded as part of the KYC (know your customer) process.

Yes, it’s an amazing place. If you would like to see more, you can check this out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hUXawHDYNQQ.htmlsi=3T9EHTk0JN5xYC3f