Essential China Travel Apps to Set Up Before Arrival

The apps at a glance

From my tests: Amap (October 26), DiDi (October 24) and TenPayGo (October 25), 2026.

Paying: Alipay first, TenPayGo as a backup

Alipay is the main one: link a foreign card, then pay by scanning a shop's QR code or showing yours. With a foreign card in Alipay or Weixin Pay, payments of ¥200 or less are generally free; above ¥200, a 3% fee may apply to the whole amount (Shanghai government, September 2026).

TenPayGo is Tencent's payment app for visitors. It pays at shops that take WeChat Pay, without a WeChat account. I signed up with just an email, linked a UK Mastercard, and paid ¥4.90 at a shop in Dongguan; the 3% card fee was crossed out.

Carry a physical bank card and some yuan as well. A linked card can still fail because of a verification step, your bank's checks or the shop's setup.

Alipay for foreigners · China payment guide · TenPayGo, tested

Maps and rides: Amap and DiDi, not Google Maps

Amap works in English: tap My, then the gear icon, then Language → English, and close and reopen the app. You can sign in with email, Apple or Google, book taxis inside it, and get public transport routes with fares. Amap in English

Google Maps didn't load at all on a Chinese connection when I tested it on October 26, 2026. With a VPN it found Canton Tower, but no public transport route, and it sent me to a Luckin Coffee 5.7 km away while Amap listed five within 1 km. My Google Maps vs Amap test

DiDi works in English too: Account → gear icon → Language → English → 完成 (Done) → Confirm. App rides show a fixed upfront fare and taxis show an estimate; taxi trips can be paid in cash. DiDi in English · Paying for DiDi

For the metro you don't always need an app: in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen you can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate. Metro: card or Alipay ride code

Trains: 12306 or Trip.com

12306 is China Railway's official site and app, with an English version. It only accepts foreign passports and asks for an email address, not a Chinese phone number. Tickets go on sale 15 days before departure, and there's no paper ticket: you show the passport you booked with. Trip.com also sells China train tickets in English. For Beijing to Shanghai in second class, I saw ¥553–667 on 12306 for November 4. China train tickets · What a China trip costs

WeChat: messages first

WeChat is China's main messaging app, and hotels, guides and new friends will often ask for your WeChat. When you sign up, it may ask an existing user to verify you. If you don't have anyone, read WeChat verification without a friend. If WeChat Pay won't work for you, TenPayGo still lets you pay at the same shops.

Translation and menus

Amap's Hi China tools, in the shortcut icons below the search bar, include Menu Translation: photograph a menu and you get English dish names, flavor tags and prices. Set your allergies, then show staff a Chinese order card. Amap asks you to double-check the results, so confirm allergies with staff. Menu translation in Amap

Also download an offline translation app with Chinese, and test it in airplane mode before you fly. Keep your hotel address, allergies and tickets as screenshots too. Chinese phrases for travelers · How to order food in China

Set everything up before you fly

1. Download each app from your phone's official app store, and check it's the real one, not a look-alike.

2. Register with a phone number or email you can still use in China, and finish any card or identity checks.

3. Save your hotel's name, address and phone number in Chinese, in a note and as a screenshot.

4. Sort out mobile data: an eSIM or a roaming plan.

5. Before you leave, test a login, a payment, a route and offline translation.

For everything else to sort out before you fly, see my China travel checklist.

Internet access changes which apps work

On ordinary mainland mobile networks and Wi-Fi, Google, Facebook, YouTube, X and some other services are blocked or restricted. Roaming plans and travel eSIMs handle this differently by provider and plan, so check the exact plan before you buy. China eSIM and internet guide

Common setup mistakes

• Downloading a look-alike app or the wrong regional version.

• Losing access to the phone number you used for verification after changing SIM settings.

• Relying on one wallet, one map or one internet connection with no backup.

• Arriving without your hotel address and first destination saved in Chinese.

• Deleting an eSIM while troubleshooting, or keeping tickets only inside an online account.