# How to pay by phone in China as a foreign visitor URL: https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/pay-by-phone-in-china/ Updated: 2026-11-05 To pay by phone in China, link your foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Then you either scan the shop’s QR code, or show your own code to the cashier. This page explains what to set up before you go, and what to say at the till. ## How does paying work in China? Most everyday payments in China are made with a phone. Almost everyone uses one of two apps: Alipay, or WeChat Pay inside the messaging app 微信 (wēi xìn, WeChat). Supermarkets, market stalls, taxis and fruit sellers all have a printed QR code for paying. One code often works with both apps. Both apps let visitors link a foreign card, such as Visa or Mastercard. Payments are then charged to that card. The rules and fees for foreign cards have changed several times, so check the current terms in the app before you go. There are two ways to pay. 1. You scan the shop’s QR code and type the amount yourself. Most small stalls work this way. 2. You open your own payment code, and the cashier scans it. Supermarkets and chain shops usually work this way. Both take a few seconds. Cash still works. Most places take notes, but few customers use them, so small shops may have little change. ## Step by step From setting up the app to walking away. The Chinese lines come from the shops, stalls and pharmacy in the game. ### 1. Before you travel: set up one app Install Alipay or WeChat, or both. Register with your phone number and link a bank card. The app may ask for your passport details. Make sure you will have mobile data when you land, because payments need the internet. ### 2. At the till: say how you will pay Cashiers often ask how you will pay before they say the price. 扫码 (sáo mǎ, scan the code) means phone. 现金 (xiàn jīn, cash) means cash. You will hear: - **扫码还是现金？** (sáo mǎ hái shi xiàn jīn?): Scan the code or cash? - **您怎么付款？** (nín zěn me fù kuǎn?): How will you pay? (A more formal way to ask the same thing.) You say: - **扫码** (sáo mǎ): Scan the code - When: The short answer: you will pay by scanning. - They may say: **八块，扫这里。** (bā kuài, sǎo zhè lǐ.): 8 yuan. Scan here. (They say the price and point at the code.) - **扫码付款** (sáo mǎ fù kuǎn): Scan the code to pay - When: The full phrase, “scan the code to pay”. Say it when nobody has asked yet, to show you are ready to pay. ### 3. Listen for the price Prices are a number plus 块 (kuài), the everyday word for yuan. If you scan the shop’s code, you type this number yourself, so you need to hear it right. You will hear: - **十二块。** (shí èr kuài.): Twelve yuan. - **二十六块。** (èr shí liù kuài.): 26 yuan. You say: - **多少钱？** (duō shao qián?): How much? - When: Ask it if the cashier has not said the price, or to hear it again. - They may say: **二十五。扫这里。** (èr shí wǔ. sǎo zhè lǐ.): Twenty-five. Scan here. (In fast speech, people sometimes drop the 块 (kuài).) - **听不懂，请慢一点。** (tīng bu dǒng, qǐng màn yì diǎn.): Don't understand, please a bit slower. - When: Say it if the number went past too fast. Most people repeat it more slowly. - They may say: **好的好的，我慢慢说。** (hǎo de hǎo de, wǒ màn man shuō.): OK, OK, I will say it slowly. ### 4. Scan the shop’s code, or show yours To scan: open the scanner in the app, point it at the shop’s code, type the amount and confirm. To show yours: open your payment code and hold the screen to the cashier’s reader. Not sure which? Look where the cashier points. You will hear: - **扫这里。** (sǎo zhè lǐ.): Scan here. (They point at the code, or at their reader.) ### 5. Hear the payment arrive Many shops have a small speaker by the QR code. It reads out each payment with the shop’s name and the amount, so a busy owner knows you paid. The speaker says 元 (yuán), the written word for yuan, where people say 块 (kuài). You will hear: - **一刻便利收款八元** (yí kè biàn lì shōu kuǎn bā yuán): Yike Mart received 8 yuan (The shop’s name, then the amount received.) ### 6. Take your things Once the payment goes through, the cashier hands over your things. A thank-you is enough. You will hear: - **好了，拿好！** (hǎo le, ná hǎo!): Done, hold it well! - **拿好，慢走！** (ná hǎo, màn zǒu!): Hold it well, take care! (慢走 (màn zǒu, walk slowly) is how shop staff say goodbye.) You say: - **谢谢** (xiè xie): Thank you - When: Say it when you take your things. Pinyin is written the way the words are said, tone changes included, the same as in the game. ## Practical tips These change over time. Check the current rules in the apps and with your bank before you go. ### Set it up at home Registering and linking a card is easier on home Wi-Fi, with your bank’s app at hand, than at a shop counter after a long flight. ### Tell your bank you are travelling Payments from China can trigger your bank’s fraud checks. To fix a declined payment, approve it in your bank’s app. ### Keep your phone charged If you pay by phone, a dead battery means you cannot buy anything. Carry a small power bank. ### Carry some cash anyway A few small notes help when a card is declined or the signal drops. Change some money at the airport or use a bank cash machine. ### Know where foreign cards work directly International hotels, airports and some big shops and restaurants take foreign cards at the counter. Small shops, stalls and taxis usually do not. ## Where the game practises this In Very Chinese Time in My Life, you pay out loud. You say how you will pay, then hold up your phone and scan. ### The breakfast stall The first time you pay, the owner asks 您怎么付款 (nín zěn me fù kuǎn, how will you pay), and you learn 扫码付款 (sáo mǎ fù kuǎn, pay by scanning the code). Then you say 手机 (shǒu jī, phone) to take out your phone and scan the code. ### The convenience store The cashier asks 扫码还是现金 (sáo mǎ hái shi xiàn jīn, scan or cash) and three other questions, all too fast. You ask her to slow down, answer each one, and scan. The speaker reads out the payment with the shop’s name. ### The fruit shop, the pharmacy and the night market Later in the week, you hear prices like 二十六块 (èr shí liù kuài, 26 yuan) and 十二块 (shí èr kuài, 12 yuan) without asking, and pay the same way. Picture from the game: The convenience store checkout. The QR code for paying stands next to the till. What it shows: The convenience store counter in the game: a cashier in a green uniform, a QR code stand next to the till and a hot food cabinet with steamed buns. ## Questions ### Can foreigners use Alipay and WeChat Pay in China? Yes. Both let foreign visitors link a foreign card such as Visa or Mastercard and pay by QR code in shops across China. The rules and fees for foreign cards change, so check the current terms in the app before you go. ### Should I set up Alipay or WeChat Pay? Either one works for most payments, because most shops take both, often on one QR code. Many visitors set up both, so they have a backup if one card is declined. ### Do I still need cash in China? Not most days, but carry a few small notes. Cash is legal and most places take it. It helps when your battery is dead or a card payment fails. ### What does 扫码 mean? 扫码 (sáo mǎ, scan the code) means paying by QR code. When a cashier asks 扫码还是现金 (sáo mǎ hái shi xiàn jīn, scan or cash), they want to know if you will pay by phone or with cash. ### What is the difference between 块 and 元? None in value. Both mean one yuan. People say 块 (kuài) when they tell you a price, for example 八块 (bā kuài, eight yuan). 元 (yuán) is the written form on signs, receipts and the payment speakers in shops. ### Can I pay with a credit card in China? Only in some places. Large hotels, airports and some big shops take foreign credit cards. Most small shops, restaurants, stalls and taxis do not. Link the card to Alipay or WeChat Pay to use it almost everywhere. ### What should I do if a phone payment fails in China? Try the other app, check your mobile data, or pay cash. Banks sometimes decline foreign card payments as a fraud check. You can usually fix it by approving the payment in your bank’s app. ## Related pages - [How to shop at a convenience store in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/convenience-store-in-china/): The four quick questions at the till (heat it up, a bag, membership, a receipt), what to answer, and paying. - [How to order breakfast at a street stall in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/order-breakfast-in-china/): Point and say “this one”, answer how many, choose for here or to go, and pay by scanning the code on the counter. - [How to get a taxi or ride-hailing car from an airport in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/taxi-from-airport-in-china/): Turning down drivers at the exit, the taxi rank or a booked car, the driver checking your number, and small talk on the way. - [Chinese for your first trip to China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/for/first-trip-to-china/): Ordering at a breakfast stall, asking for no chili, paying by phone, finding the metro and buying a train ticket. ## Sources - [The State Council of China: Payment guide seen as assisting opening-up (People’s Bank of China guide for foreigners)](https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202403/16/content_WS65f50078c6d0868f4e8e5255.html): How visitors pay in China with bank cards, cash and mobile payment apps such as Alipay and Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay). - [Alipay: American Express and Alipay to enable payments for international travelers in China (February 2025)](https://idocs.alipay.com/intl-website/intl-website/en/american-express-and-alipay-to-enable-seamless-payments-for-international-travelers-in-china): International visitors can link cards from seven major card brands to Alipay.