Act II · Shanghai
Shanghai runs on QR codes, and since 2023 that finally includes you: both apps link a US Visa or Mastercard with just your passport. Twenty minutes on your couch now means never fumbling at a noodle counter.
Prepared August 2026 · app screens change; follow the flow on screen, not old screenshots
The one thing people skip and regret: call your bank (or use its app) and set a travel notice for China before linking your card. A surprise verification ping from “Alipay” or “Tenpay” is exactly what fraud systems block, and a blocked link is the number one reason setup fails. If a link is declined, call the bank, name the merchant, and try again.
Alipay is the smoother of the two for visitors, and it is accepted essentially everywhere. Do this at home, on good wifi.
App Store or Google Play. Make sure it is plain “Alipay” — not Alipay HK or another regional variant. The app has a full English interface.
No Chinese number needed. Use a number that can receive texts while you travel, because verification codes arrive by SMS.
Me → Bank Cards → Add. Visa and Mastercard both work. Enter it exactly as printed.
The app will ask for a passport photo scan when you link a card or when a payment needs identity confirmation. It takes minutes and is required for anything beyond small purchases, so do it now rather than mid-trip.
Before you fly, make any small charge the app allows (many app-internal services accept it). If the charge clears, you are done. If it declines, that is your bank — see the box above.
Some smaller merchants show only one kind of QR code, so carrying both apps means never hitting a dead end. WeChat also no longer needs a Chinese number.
One wrinkle: brand-new WeChat accounts sometimes require an existing user to scan a QR code vouching for you. If you hit that screen, ask us — we can verify you in seconds.
Me → Services (or Wallet). If Services is not visible: Settings → General → Tools → enable WeChat Pay.
Same flow as Alipay: Visa or Mastercard, passport scan when prompted.
| Thing | Number |
|---|---|
| Purchases of 200 RMB (~$28) or less | No fee — most of your trip lives here |
| Purchases over 200 RMB | ~3% platform fee on the transaction |
| Single transaction ceiling | ¥5,000 (~$700) — you will not hit it |
| Your own bank’s foreign transaction fee | 0–3% depending on your card; a no-foreign-fee card is the cheapest companion |
Foreign-card wallets cannot send money to friends — paying merchants, rides, and tickets all work; peer transfers do not. If you owe one of us for something, settle it in dollars at home.
Physical foreign credit cards work at international hotels, upscale restaurants, and big malls — and almost nowhere else. Keep your card for the hotel and bring a small amount of RMB cash (a couple hundred yuan) as the universal fallback; airport ATMs dispense it with any US debit card. Between the two apps and a little cash, nothing in Shanghai will refuse you.