No Cash? No Problem! Tourists in China Can Now Use Alipay Too (Plus Our Handy How-To Guide)
Imagine a perfect day in Beijing. Perhaps you start with a jianbing for breakfast, fresh off the griddle. Sufficiently fueled up, you head off to explore the Temple of Heaven and then grab a share bike to explore the hutongs. Lunch? Peking duck, of course. Finally, you hop in a taxi to Sanlitun to look around the shops and finish off the day with dinner and a couple of pints at a craft beer brewpub. Sounds pretty good, right? Even better, through the power of mobile payment, you can accomplish all of the above without ever having to reach for your wallet. Unless that is, you're just visiting.
China is light years ahead of many other countries when it comes to mobile payment but until now, overseas visitors couldn't get in on the action, stuck carrying around wads of cash or searching for somewhere that accepts Visa.
Well, now you no longer have to feel left out. For the first time ever, short-term visitors to China can use mobile payments without the hassle of getting a local Chinese mobile number or bank account with Alipay’s international version.
From today onwards, visitors can download Alipay for both iOS and Android devices and register for the International Version of the app with their overseas mobile phone number to access the “Tour Pass” mini program. Through this mini-program, they can use a prepaid card service provided by the Bank of Shanghai to top up RMB using an international credit or debit card and enjoy all the usual services Alipay offers.
What you’ll need
• An overseas phone number
• A valid Chinese visa
• An overseas bank card
How to register
Step 1: Download Alipay
The app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Step 2: Enter your phone number and select the international version
Choose your country code and enter your phone number. You'll be sent a text with a code to log in. On the next screen, be sure to confirm that you want to use the international version (you can change this at a later date in the app settings if needed).
Step 3: Enter Tour Pass
If you don’t see the Tour Pass mini program on the Alipay home screen, you can search for “Tour Pass” in the search bar at the top of the screen.
Step 4: Add funds
From here, you can decide how much money you want to add to your prepaid card. The minimum balance per prepaid card is RMB 100, capped at RMB 2,000. The card is valid for 90 days, after which any remaining funds will be automatically refunded.
Step 5: Enter your passport information and bank card information
Once you’ve chosen the amount you want to add to your card, you’ll be prompted to enter your personal details and bank card information. It’s pretty self-explanatory – you’ll need to enter your details and upload a picture of your valid Chinese visa. Then, input your card details; accepted card providers include Visa, Mastercard, and JCB.
After that, all that’s left is to get out there and get spending! You can pay for things by either presenting your QR code to a seller or scanning their QR code with your app. It's hard to understate how much easier having Alipay makes your life in Beijing. There's no more scrabbling for the right change for a taxi and it makes paying for food and drinks a breeze.
Paying for things is almost too easy, in fact – even road-side vendors selling things like water or baozi accept mobile payment these days. And when everyone around you is using QR codes to pay, it’s nice to feel like a local when you can do the same. So with visiting Beijing even more convenient, there’s really no reason not to book your trip. Happy spending!
This post is paid for by Alipay
Images: Shutterstock, courtesy of Alipay
