Can foreigners use Alipay in China?
Yes. Sign up with your phone number and link a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover or UnionPay card. You can spend up to US$2,000 a year before registering your passport.
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How to Use Alipay in China as a Foreigner (2026)
Maintained by Lin · Checked against official sources, November 1, 2026
Quick answer
Yes. Foreign visitors can use Alipay in China with a card from home:
Set up: download Alipay, sign up with your phone number and tap Add Now to link a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover or UnionPay card.
Limits: without registering your passport you can spend up to US$2,000 a year. With it, up to US$5,000 a payment and US$50,000 a year (Ant Group, March 2024).
Fees: payments of ¥200 or less are generally free. Above that, a 3% fee may apply to the whole amount.
Backup: most shops take WeChat Pay too, so add a second way to pay: WeChat, Tencent's TenPayGo app or, with a US account, PayPal.
Jump to: Set up · Fees and limits · How to pay · Metro and DiDi · Alipay or WeChat Pay · If it fails
Last reviewed: November 1, 2026
Set up Alipay with a foreign card
Download Alipay from your app store. Don't pick AlipayHK or another regional version.
Sign up with your phone number and enter the code Alipay sends.
Tap Add Now and add your card. Seven card brands work through Alipay: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay.
If your bank asks you to approve a check in its app, approve it.
To spend more than US$2,000 a year, register your passport in the app.
Do it at home before you fly, so any checks from your bank are sorted out before you need to pay. Turn on overseas and online payments in your banking app so the first payment in China isn't blocked.
American Express: as of February 2025, only cards issued by American Express itself can be added. Amex-branded cards issued by other banks outside mainland China aren't eligible.
Alipay's International Version has English, a translation tool, ride-hailing, public transport and hotel and flight booking (Alipay, August 2023).
Fees and limits with a foreign card
¥200 or less: generally no fee.
Over ¥200: a 3% fee may apply to the whole amount (Shanghai government, September 2026). On a ¥300 dinner, that's ¥9.
Your bank may add its own foreign transaction or currency conversion fee.
The fee shows on the confirmation screen before you pay, so check it on bigger payments.
| Per payment | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Passport registered | Up to US$5,000 | Up to US$50,000 |
| Not registered | Within the yearly limit | Up to US$2,000 |
Ant Group set these limits in March 2024. Before that, you could spend only US$500 a year without registering, and US$1,000 a payment with it.
How to pay at a shop
The shop scans your code: open your payment code in Alipay and hold it up to the scanner.
You scan the shop's code: scan the QR code on the counter, type the amount, check the shop name and pay.
Never send a photo of your payment code to anyone: whoever scans it can take a payment.
Metro, DiDi and other things Alipay does
Metro and buses: Alipay's ride codes work in many cities, and in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen you can also tap a foreign card at the gates: metro ride codes and card taps.
DiDi: open the DiDi mini program inside Alipay and the fare goes on your linked card: paying for DiDi.
Your e-wallet from home: through Alipay+, users of 12 other Asian e-wallets can pay at merchants across China (Ant Group, February 2025). Check the Alipay+ list to see if yours is one.
Alipay, WeChat Pay or TenPayGo?
| Alipay | WeChat Pay | TenPayGo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-up | Phone number, then link a card | A WeChat account; new accounts may need an existing user to verify you | Email and a code |
| Pays at | Shops that take Alipay | Shops that take WeChat Pay | Shops that take WeChat Pay |
| Metro codes | Ride codes in many cities | Ride codes in many cities | Shenzhen only |
| DiDi rides | DiDi mini program inside Alipay | DiDi mini program inside WeChat | Not in the app |
My advice: make Alipay your main app and keep one way to pay WeChat Pay codes as a backup: WeChat Pay for foreigners compares WeChat, TenPayGo and PayPal.
If Alipay doesn't work
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your card won't add | Look for a blocked attempt in your banking app and approve it, or call your bank. Amex cards issued by other banks aren't eligible. Or try another card. |
| A payment is declined | You may have reached the US$2,000 limit for unregistered accounts. Register your passport, or pay another way. |
| You're not sure a payment went through | Check the payment record in the app before you pay again. |
| Nothing works | Pay WeChat Pay codes with TenPayGo, which only needs an email, or use a physical card or cash. |
Keep backups: a second way to pay, a physical card and some cash.
Useful payment phrases
可以用支付宝吗？ — Can I pay with Alipay?
请扫我的付款码。 — Please scan my payment code.
支付失败了，可以换一种方式吗？ — My payment failed. Can I pay another way?
FAQ
Do I need a Chinese bank account to use Alipay?
No. You pay with a card from home.
What is the Alipay limit for foreigners?
Up to US$2,000 a year without registering your passport. With your passport registered, up to US$5,000 a payment and US$50,000 a year (Ant Group, March 2024).
Does Alipay charge fees for foreign cards?
Payments of ¥200 or less are generally free. Above that, a 3% fee may apply to the whole amount, and your bank may add its own fee.
Can I set up Alipay before arriving in China?
Yes, and it's easier at home: sign up, link your card and approve your bank's checks before you fly.
What if my Alipay payment fails?
Approve any blocked attempt in your banking app, check whether you've reached the US$2,000 limit for unregistered accounts, then pay another way. Check the payment record before trying again.
Should I use Alipay or WeChat Pay?
Set up both if you can. Most shops take both, so make one your main app and the other your backup. TenPayGo pays WeChat Pay codes if WeChat won't let you sign up.
Should I carry cash in China?
Carry a little. Most places take Alipay or WeChat Pay, but cash is a backup if your phone, data or card fails.
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Official or primary sources to verify
- American Express and Alipay: linking cards to Alipay, with seven card brands and Alipay+ e-wallets (February 2025)
- Alipay: International Version with English, a translation tool, ride-hailing and public transport (August 2023)
- CNBC: Alipay lets foreign visitors spend US$2,000 a year without registering their ID, and US$5,000 a payment with it (March 2024)
- China News Service: State Council briefing raising foreign visitors' mobile payment limits (March 2024, in Chinese)
- Shanghai government: Pay with overseas bank cards, with the ¥200 / 3% rule and accepted card networks (September 2026)
- Alipay+ official guide for paying in the Chinese mainland
- Shanghai government guide to linking international cards to Alipay
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