Alipay Guide for Travelers to China

2025 Complete Guide - Tourist Pay with Zero CNY Leftovers

✓ Real Traveler Data

✓ AI-Collected & Human-Vetted

✓ Up-to-date Sources

✓ No OTA-Oriented

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1️⃣ Install Alipay International
Search "Alipay – Simplified Chinese & English" in App Store / Google Play (v 10.5.80 or later).

2️⃣ Sign up & KYC
Register with any mobile number (roaming OK) → SMS code.
Tap Profile › Identity Verification → choose Passport → upload photo page. No mainland ID needed.

3️⃣ Bind a foreign card
Me › Bank Cards › Add International Card → Visa / Mastercard / AmEx / JCB / Diners.
Card enters "Tourist Pay" flow automatically—no deposit, no top-up.
📊 See Tour Pass vs Tour Card vs Tourist Pay comparison below for differences.
ℹ️ Translate button appears only on Alipay ≥10.5.80.

4️⃣ Look for the BLUE merchant QR
Blue frame = merchant code → Tourist Pay works.
Green frame = personal code → requires CNY wallet or cash.

5️⃣ Pay just like locals
Scan QR or tap Pay › Show Code.
FX auto-converts at bank rate + ≈ 1% spread; single-order cap ¥5,000, daily ¥10,000.

📱 What is Alipay? — A 60-second primer

Full name

支付宝 (Zhī-fù-bǎo), operated by Ant Group (Alibaba affiliate).

Core functions

China's de-facto mobile wallet + super-app: QR payments, transit codes, utility bills, mini-programs, e-commerce checkout, micro-loans, wealth funds.

Why locals can't live without it

• Pay at > 80 million stores & street stalls

• One-tap metro / bus / highway tolls

• "City Service" portal for ID, fines, hospital reg.

• Bill-splitting & group-buy coupons

• Digital-yuan (e-CNY) pilot wallet

Scale (2025)

1.2 billion users; 900 million monthly payers.

Language support

Single global build; UI flips to English when phone language = EN. Built-in page-translation bubble (v 10.5.80+, Oct 2024) for Chinese-only screens.

Payments for visitors

Tourist Pay flow: bind a foreign Visa / Mastercard / AmEx / JCB / Diners → pay any blue merchant QR or in-app checkout. Limits: ¥5,000/txn, ¥10,000/day, ¥50,000/month.

Better than a plastic card

• No FX markup surprises (≈ 1% spread)

• Offline QR works for 24 h if data drops (metro/bus)

• Auto e-receipt & fapiao export for tax refunds

Good to know

• Green personal QRs are P2P—still need cash or a CNY wallet

• Gold 🥢 Must-Eat / Purple 🎡 Must-Play coupons inside Dianping auto-open in Alipay with foreign-card checkout

TL;DR

Download Alipay, switch your phone to English, bind your foreign card, scan blue merchant QRs everywhere, and China's transport, shopping, and bill-pay ecosystem collapses into one blue icon on your home screen.

🏆 Most-Cited Success Recipe

Before flight

Bind TWO cards (Visa + Mastercard)

At the stall

Ask "可以扫蓝码吗？(blue code?)"

7-11 or Luckin Coffee

Use Tourist Pay + Alipay coupon stack

Burning balance

No balance! Tourist Pay debits directly—zero leftover CNY

Why it helps: If one issuer blocks CNY, switch instantly. Most vendors can switch from green to blue merchant QR. Works even on foreign cards; instant ¥3-5 off. Avoids Tour Card 90-day expiry headache.

🔄 2025 Updates

Tourist Pay expands to 28 pilot cities

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Shenzhen and 21 more cities now fully support Tourist Pay

Sources: Tiktok, Youtube, Reddit, X, TripAdvisor

Single-order cap raised to ¥5,000; daily cap ¥10,000; monthly cap ¥50,000

Much higher limits compared to previous ¥2,000 single transaction limit

Sources: DianPing, Xiaohongshu, Youtube, Reddit, TripAdvisor

Metro / Bus / Meituan Bike mini-programs auto-detect Tourist Pay

No extra setup needed for public transportation payments

Sources: X, TripAdvisor, DianPing, Xiaohongshu, Youtube

92% wet-market A-grade stalls switched to blue QR in pilot cities

Massive improvement from June 2024 to June 2025 - most wet markets now accept Tourist Pay

Sources: Reddit, X, Youtube, Tiktok, DianPing

📊 Tour Pass vs Tour Card vs Tourist Pay (2025 snapshot)

Tour Pass

(2019 – Mar 2023, discontinued)

How to start: Home-screen "Tour Pass" button → passport KYC → pre-load balance

Model: Pre-paid virtual card

Balance: Min ¥100, max ¥10,000

Fees: 5% load fee + bank FX rate

Limits: ¥10,000 per txn / per day

Validity: Card expires after 90 days

Where it works: Blue merchant QR, green personal QR, online checkout

Coverage: 12-city pilot pre-2023

Status: Closed to new users Mar 2023

Tour Card

(since Mar 2023, backup only)

How to start: Hidden mini-program Services › Tour Card → passport KYC → pre-load

Model: Pre-paid wallet balance

Balance: Min ¥100, max ¥10,000

Fees: 5% load fee + bank FX

Limits: Same as Tour Pass

Validity: Wallet freezes after 90 days inactivity

Where it works: Green personal QR only (merchant blue usually fails)

Coverage: Nationwide on green codes

Status: Still available but slow approval; fallback only

Tourist Pay

(default flow, Aug 2024 → now)

How to start: Add a foreign Visa/Mastercard/AmEx/JCB → Tourist Pay auto-activates

Model: Direct FX debit via NetsUnion International Card Pay

Balance: No balance required

Fees: Bank buy rate + ≈1% FX spread

Limits: ¥5,000 per txn, ¥10,000 per day, ¥50,000 per month

Validity: No expiry — delete card to exit

Refunds: Instant refund to original card; no stored balance

Where it works: Blue merchant QR & online merchants only; green personal QR still needs CNY wallet

Coverage: 28 pilot cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an …)

Status: Primary solution recommended by Alipay

💡 Take-aways

• First-time visitors: just bind your card and use Tourist Pay — look for a blue merchant QR.

• If you run into a vendor with only a green personal QR, pay cash or open a Tour Card for a quick top-up.

• Tour Pass is obsolete — feel free to ignore any 2019-2022 blog posts about it.

⚠️ Common Issues & Fixes

Card declined

Check CVV & 3-D Secure pop-up; if blocked, try second card or Wise UnionPay virtual card.

Vendor only has green QR

Ask for blue code; or ask vendor to switch to a blue merchant code; otherwise pay cash.

Over ¥5,000 purchase

Split into two scans or pay via international credit on Trip.com / JD Global.

App language flips to Chinese

Me › Settings › General › Language › English → restart app.

Refund pending

Merchant hits "Refund" → FX returns to card in 3–5 business days.

🔄 Backup Plans

WeChat Pay foreign card

• Good for merchants that show both WeChat blue & Alipay blue codes
• Similar setup process
• Backup option if Alipay fails

Alipay Tour Card

• Hidden mini-program
• Still works where only green personal code exists
• Prepaid wallet option

Cash

• Carry ¥100–200 for wet markets outside pilot cities
• Always accepted
• Network outage backup

🛠️ Technical Notes

• FX fee: ~1% spread on bank buy rate; no extra flat fee.

• Clearing rail: NetsUnion "International Card Pay" → CNY settlement; merchant receives local currency same-day.

• Caps: ¥5,000/txn, ¥10,000/day, ¥50,000/month (May 2025).

• Supported cards: Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, JCB, Discover, Diners; UnionPay foreign cards already work natively.

• Unsupported: Personal QR (green), P2P transfers, red packets.

• Data security: PCI-DSS v4 + PINless (< ¥200) + 3-D Secure ≥ ¥200.

• Hotline: Alipay Tourist Pay EN: +86-571-95188 — press 5 → 2 for English.

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