Legally, businesses in China are still required to accept cash — but in real life, almost no one does. In cities like Shanghai, nearly every transaction happens through your phone. This is a quick, practical guide to how foreigners can pay for things in China in 2024, from restaurants and taxis to metro rides and convenience stores.

Alipay & WeChat Pay are how everyone pays

Forget tapping cards at terminals like in the West. In China the default payment method is QR codes — either you show your code for the merchant to scan, or you scan theirs.

You can link international cards now

Both Alipay and WeChat Pay let foreigners link international credit/debit cards (Visa, MC, AmEx, JCB). Setup is mostly guided inside the apps — it's easier than it used to be and fairly similar to other apps you've used.

But sometimes arcade mode still helps: preload a balance

Most places work fine with just the card linked. However, some merchants — especially smaller shops, markets, food stalls, and random QR codes — might struggle to process direct international card charges. In those cases, it's safer to transfer money into your Alipay/WeChat balance first and pay from the balance. It avoids hiccups and declined scans.

Quick setup pointers

Alipay

• Use the international version of the app (or switch to "English" if available).
• Add a card under Cards / Payment Methods.
• If you want a balance, transfer some money from your card into your Alipay wallet.
• You may need ID verification — passport works.

WeChat Pay

• Link a card under Wallet → Cards.
• If needed, top up your wallet first.
• WeChat's QR scanner is the big white plus button in the corner.

Paying at venues

• Most places will display a big QR for Alipay/WeChat — you scan it with your phone and confirm.
• Some will ask to scan your code — open your app to show your personal payment QR.
• Rarely, shops may still prefer a card terminal — but tourist cards (foreign chip/contactless) don't always work reliably here.

Tips for tourists

• If you plan on staying in China for longer you'll need WeChat anyway (it's the WhatsApp of China), so, you might as well just setup WeChat and WeChat Pay (and skip Alipay).
• Keep a small balance loaded to avoid awkward declines.

Paying for Public Transportation in Shanghai

QR codes are now standard

Shanghai public transport (metro, buses, ferries) uses a city‑wide transit QR code — you don't need to buy paper tickets if you use the QR code system. Just open your Alipay or WeChat Pay and show/scan the "乘车码" (transit code) at the gate or bus scanner. It works on a ride‑first, pay‑later basis (fare is charged afterward).

How to use it

• Alipay: Go to the Outing/Travel section and find Shanghai Public Transportation QR to activate your ride code.
• WeChat: Open the Transit Code mini‑program (search "乘车码") to generate a QR for rides.

Hold your phone QR up to the scanner on buses or metro gates — it'll beep and the system deducts the fare automatically from your linked payment/balance.

Apple Pay & Google Pay on transit

You can also use Apple Wallet for a Shanghai transit card — once you add the transit card (Shanghai Public Transport Card / T‑Union) to your Wallet, you can tap‑to‑ride like in the West. This works on iPhone/Apple Watch in "Express Transit" mode.

For Google Wallet/Android, official support exists in many cities and fares can work similarly (tapping at gates), but setup may require linking the Shanghai transit card rather than simple Apple/Google Pay NFC. (If linking a local transit card in Wallet, some guides note you may need a Chinese UnionPay card to top up directly in Wallet.)

Cards alone are hit or miss

Metro operators (via the official Daduhui app) also let you link international cards (like Mastercard) to buy/ride directly if you're stuck without QR. But QR via Alipay/WeChat is far more common and smoother for tourists.

Quick tips

• QR transit is easiest for most trips — no need for cash or tickets.
• Add both Alipay and WeChat transit codes to cover more scenarios.
• If you want tap‑to‑ride like back home, add a transit card to Apple Wallet (Express Transit) — it's convenient once set up.