You can pay for almost everything in Shanghai with a foreign card linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay, with no Chinese bank account and no fee under 200 RMB.
You can pay for almost everything in Shanghai with a foreign Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Discover or Diners Club card linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay, and you do not need a Chinese bank account to do it. Payments under 200 RMB carry no service fee; above that a fee of roughly 3 percent applies. Set-up takes an afternoon and needs only your passport, a phone number and a physical card.
Shanghai is close to cashless. You pay for the metro, a bowl of noodles, a taxi, and the vegetable stall on the corner with the same quick scan of a QR code. For years this felt closed off to newcomers. Now it is genuinely easy, and the awkward middle period where expats had to carry cash is over.
What do you need before you start?
- Your passport, for a quick photo scan during verification.
- A physical international card: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, or Diners Club. Prepaid and virtual cards are usually rejected, so bring a real one.
- A working phone number. Your home number is fine for the sign-up code, and no Chinese SIM is required. A local number does make daily life smoother though, and our SIM card guide covers the options.
One tip before you begin: ask your bank to switch on overseas transactions. Some cards block them by default, and a declined payment during setup is a frustrating way to find out.
How do you set up Alipay with a foreign card?
Alipay tends to be the smoother of the two for expats, so set it up first. Download the app, choose English on first launch, and register with your phone number. Go to Account, then Bank Cards, and add your Visa or Mastercard. Scan your passport when prompted for verification, which is almost fully automated and usually clears in a few minutes. Once done, you can pay anywhere showing the Alipay logo, and the app translates most menus and mini programs into English.
Do the full identity verification with your passport rather than the quick version. It is the same five minutes either way, and the verified tier is what raises your spending ceiling later.
How do you set up WeChat Pay?
WeChat, known locally as Weixin, is the app everyone uses to message, so its wallet is worth having too. Open Me, then Services or Wallet, and add your Visa or Mastercard directly. You will scan your passport and complete a quick face check. Verification here can be a little stricter than Alipay, so if you hit a snag, finish Alipay first and come back.
Can you pay with PayPal in China now?
Yes, and it works the opposite way round from what most people assume. On 27 May 2026 Tencent's cross-border arm TenPay Global went live with PayPal, so eligible PayPal users pay by opening the PayPal app and scanning a WeChat Pay merchant QR code. You do not link PayPal inside WeChat, and you do not need to install WeChat at all. The merchant sees an ordinary WeChat Pay payment and changes nothing on their side.
United States PayPal accounts came first, with other markets following in phases. For a short visit this is a low-effort option, since it skips app registration and passport verification entirely. For anyone staying longer, Alipay is still the one to set up properly, because the transit codes, mini programs and in-app services live there.
What are the fees and limits?
As of August 2026, everyday spending is light on fees. Payments under 200 RMB carry no service charge on either app. Above that, a fee of roughly 3 percent applies to the transaction. For coffee, dinner, taxis and groceries you will rarely pay anything at all.
Both apps also run a fee-free window for first-time international-card users, and the terms move. WeChat Pay's published version gives 60 consecutive days with the 3 percent waived on daily spending under 1,000 RMB, capped at 30 RMB saved per transaction. Alipay has run a comparable window of about 90 days. Treat these as promotions rather than permanent rules and check the current terms inside the app before you count on one.
Limits work in tiers rather than as one fixed number. A lightly verified account starts with a low ceiling, in the region of 5,000 RMB for a single payment and 50,000 RMB a year. Completing the full passport-based identity verification raises both substantially. Because the exact ceilings differ by app, by card network and by how the reporting is done, the number that matters is the one shown in your own account: open the payment settings and read your current limit there rather than trusting any published figure, including this one. For a genuinely large purchase, plan ahead or split it.
Which one is for you 哪个适合你
If you are visiting for a week from the United States, use PayPal scanning WeChat merchant codes and skip set-up altogether. If you are staying a month or more, set up Alipay first for transit and mini programs, then WeChat Pay as backup. If you are moving here, do both, then open a Chinese bank account and fund the apps from a local balance, which removes the foreign-card fee on larger payments. If your spending will be heavy, complete full passport verification on day one rather than hitting a ceiling mid-purchase.
How do you use them day to day?
- Metro: open the transit code inside Alipay and tap through the gates, with no separate card needed. Our guide to getting around Shanghai covers the rest of the network.
- Taxis and Didi: link your payment app in the ride-hailing service and the fare settles itself.
- Markets and small shops: point your camera at their QR code, enter the amount, and pay.
- Restaurants: most ordering happens through a QR menu inside the app. Our Dianping guide explains booking and reviews, and the food delivery guide covers ordering in.
- Shopping: a linked card is what makes Taobao usable without a local account.
- Splitting a bill: both apps let you send money to friends once you have added them.
Why was my payment declined?
Almost always one of four things, in this order of likelihood. Your card issuer blocked an overseas transaction, which one phone call fixes. You have hit the single-payment or annual ceiling on an unverified account, which finishing passport verification fixes. The card is prepaid or virtual, which nothing fixes; use a different card. Or the merchant's terminal only accepts the other app, which is why setting up both is worth the extra ten minutes.
Keep a little cash for the rare stall that prefers it, and save your card details somewhere safe in case you reinstall an app. Once it clicks, you will wonder how you ever managed with a wallet.
Common questions
Can expats use Alipay and WeChat Pay in China?
Yes. Both apps accept international Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards, and you verify your identity with your passport. No Chinese bank account or Chinese ID is needed.
Do I need a Chinese phone number for Alipay?
No. You can register with your home phone number and receive the sign-up code there. A Chinese number makes deliveries, bookings and seller chat easier, but it is not a requirement for payments.
What fee do foreign cards pay on Alipay and WeChat Pay?
Nothing on transactions under 200 RMB. Above that, roughly 3 percent of the transaction. New international-card users also get a limited fee-free window, currently 60 days on WeChat Pay and around 90 days on Alipay, on daily spending under 1,000 RMB.
Can I use PayPal in China?
Yes, since 27 May 2026. Eligible PayPal users open the PayPal app and scan a WeChat Pay merchant QR code. United States accounts came first and other markets are being added in phases.
What is the spending limit on a foreign card in Alipay?
A lightly verified account starts around 5,000 RMB per single payment and 50,000 RMB a year, and full passport verification raises both considerably. The exact figure varies by app and card network, so check the current number in your own payment settings.
Should I use Alipay or WeChat Pay?
Set up Alipay first: it is the smoother verification, it carries the metro transit code, and its English interface is fuller. Add WeChat Pay as a backup, because a small number of merchants take only one of the two.
