Coming to China
WeChat Pay (微信支付) is the payment function inside WeChat, the messaging app China actually runs on. In China almost everything is paid by scanning a QR code — many places no longer take cards, and some no longer carry much cash. WeChat Pay now links directly to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay International. No Chinese bank account is needed. Set it up on your own phone, in your own country, before you fly.
Current as of · Sources: WeChat Pay official help centre. Card rules, fees and promotions change often — what your own wallet shows is what counts.China runs on QR codes. A bowl of noodles, a taxi, a temple ticket, a bottle of water at a corner shop — the default is a scan, not a card.
Large hotels and airports will usually take a Visa or Mastercard at the desk. Almost everything else expects a scan. This is not a tourist tax or an inconvenience aimed at visitors: it is simply how the country pays now, and most Chinese people carry no wallet at all. If you cannot scan, ordinary things get slow.
WeChat is more than the wallet, too. In China it is the app people actually live in — the group chat with your guide, the taxi you call, the restaurant menu, the ticket you book. Setting it up before you arrive is the single most useful hour you can spend on trip preparation, after your visa.
Do all of this at home. Two of the steps send verification codes to your own phone number, and a brand-new account usually needs a second existing WeChat user to confirm it — both are far easier before you leave.
Free, from the App Store or Google Play. Install it at home rather than after you land.
Sign up with your usual mobile number and confirm the SMS code. Be aware of one thing that catches people out: a new WeChat account normally has to be confirmed by a QR code scan from someone who already uses WeChat. Ask a friend, ask your hotel in advance, or ask a Chinese traveller at the airport before departure. Do not leave this until you are standing in arrivals with no signal.
Open WeChat → Me (bottom right) → Services → Wallet. If you cannot see Services at all, go to Me → Settings → General → Tools and switch on WeChat Pay there. New accounts sometimes wait a day or two before the payment features appear — another reason to do this early.
Tap Verify Identity and choose the non-mainland-China ID option. Enter your passport details, upload a photo of the information page, and complete a face scan if asked. Take the photo in good light with the whole page visible — glare and cropped corners are the usual reasons it fails. Your name must match the passport exactly.
In Wallet, tap Cards → Add a Card. Enter the card number, expiry date and CVV. Your bank may send a one-time code, and some banks use 3-D Secure to confirm it is really you. A small pre-authorisation hold — usually under one US dollar — may appear on your statement for a few days while the card is validated; it is released automatically and is not a charge.
This confirms every payment. Once it is set, you can also enable Face ID or fingerprint so small everyday purchases do not need the password at all.
Not part of WeChat, but the step people skip and then regret. Some banks block Chinese transactions by default as a fraud precaution. A two-minute call or an in-app travel notice saves you standing at a till with a declined card.
Two directions, and which one applies depends on the shop.
A printed or on-screen QR code sits on the counter. Open WeChat, tap + at the top of the chat list, choose Scan, point at the code. If the amount is not filled in for you, type it, then confirm with your password.
Faster for queues. Tap + then Money to show your own payment code, and the cashier scans it. Your code refreshes itself every minute, so a screenshot of it will not work and is not a security risk if someone sees it.
The merchant's screen will be in Chinese. You do not need to read it — the number you are being charged is the large one, and your password confirms. If a payment does not go through, it is almost always the card, not you: try again, then fall back to the second card.
For ordinary holiday spending you will rarely notice any of this. It matters when you pay for something large.
| What you pay | How much |
|---|---|
| WeChat Pay — single payment of ¥200 or less | No fee |
| WeChat Pay — single payment above ¥200 | 3% |
| Your own bank, charged on top | 0–3%, plus FX markup |
The 3% is refunded in proportion if the payment is refunded. WeChat also runs a promotional waiver for first-time international card users — a limited period of fee-free small daily spending after the first payment. Promotions come and go, so the current terms are shown inside your own wallet rather than here. Your bank's charge reaches your statement in your home currency after conversion, so the rate you get is your card network's, not WeChat's.
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| WeChat help centre — per transaction | about ¥6,500 |
| WeChat help centre — per month | about ¥50,000 |
| National regulatory ceiling — per transaction | US$5,000 |
| National regulatory ceiling — per year | US$50,000 |
Both sets of numbers are official; they measure different things, which is why they look so far apart. Your usable limit also depends on passport verification, your bank and the merchant's risk controls, and it is always displayed in your own wallet. For hotels or high-speed rail tickets, check the limit shown in your wallet first, or simply pay at the front desk by card.
This is the part people discover only after they arrive.
All three of the first restrictions need a mainland Chinese bank account. They also matter less than they sound: paying a merchant — which is what a restaurant, a taxi, a museum or a temple ticket office is — works normally. The distinction is simply merchant payment versus person-to-person money movement.
A workaround worth knowing: a WeChat account can hold up to three international cards. If one is declined, adding a second on a different network is the fastest fix. And if your card cannot be linked at all because of your bank's own policy, Alipay runs an equivalent international-card service — set that up too, as a backup rather than a replacement.
This page exists for one reason: to get you ready for a place where QR codes are how everything is paid for.
If you are not travelling to China, WeChat Pay is of no use to you — and you will notice that this website has no payment button. That is deliberate. A checkout button would only work for someone standing in China with a working wallet, so putting one here would be decoration: it would look like progress and convert nobody. If you would like to join one of our experiences, write to us and we will arrange it with you directly, whatever you use to pay.
Our mini-programme lives inside WeChat. That is where you ask for a slip, where the experiences are described, and where the people who come back keep their trace. Search for 上上签 · 东方时间, or scan the code on our home page.
English is spoken throughout. If a session is listed in Chinese only, or you would rather ask a person first, use hello@lktfs.com — we answer in English.
No. WeChat Pay accepts international cards directly. You can register with a foreign phone number, verify your identity with a passport, and link a card issued outside China. A Chinese bank account is only needed for sending money to individuals, sending red packets, or topping up a WeChat balance.
WeChat Pay lists seven international card brands: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay International. A brand being supported does not guarantee every individual card is approved — approval also depends on your issuing bank and its risk controls, so bring a second card on a different network.
Single payments of ¥200 or less carry no fee. Above ¥200 WeChat charges a 3% service fee, refunded proportionally if the payment is refunded. Your own bank may add a foreign transaction fee or exchange-rate markup on top. WeChat also runs promotional waivers for first-time international card users — the current terms are shown inside your own wallet.
WeChat's help centre lists about ¥6,500 per transaction and ¥50,000 per month for international cards. The national regulatory ceiling for visitors is US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 per year. Your usable limit depends on passport verification, your bank, the merchant and risk controls, and is always shown in your own wallet.
Foreign cards are for paying merchants. They cannot be used to send red packets, transfer money to individuals, or top up a WeChat balance — those need a mainland Chinese bank account. In practice this is fine for a trip: shops, restaurants, taxis, museums and temples all take merchant payments.
You can, but it is much harder. Registration and card linking both send verification codes to your home mobile number, and a new account normally needs confirming by an existing WeChat user. Some accounts also take a day or two before the payment features appear. Set it up at home, before you fly.
Not necessarily. If you would rather not set up a Chinese payment wallet, write to hello@lktfs.com and we will arrange your booking with you directly. We do not put a payment button on this website, because it would only work for visitors who are physically in China.
It is a sensible backup. Most merchants accept both WeChat Pay and Alipay, but a few small shops and street stalls only take one. Alipay follows a similar process for linking an international card. Carrying a small amount of cash covers the remaining gaps.
This is general information, not financial advice. We are a cultural-experience company, not a payment institution, a bank or an agency. Card acceptance, fees, limits and promotions are set by WeChat Pay, the card networks and your own bank, and they change — the figure shown in your own wallet always overrides anything written here. Page checked against the sources above on 16 October 2026.
A tea ceremony you whisk yourself. A guqin you actually press. Seven days in one mountain near Nanjing, or one afternoon in Shanghai. Small groups, English spoken throughout.
Still planning the trip? Check whether you need a visa at all — 50 countries can now enter visa-free.
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