ePayment for Foreigners July 2023

Starting from July 2023, Chinese technology groups Tencent Holdings and Ant Group have announced that they will allow foreign visitors to link Visa, Mastercard and other international credit or debit cards to their platforms. This means that travelers will be able to make instant payments through WeChat Pay and Alipay while traveling in mainland China, without the need of opening a Chinese bank account.

WeChat Pay and Alipay have historically limited the use of foreign bank cards due to strict financial and data controls imposed by the Chinese government; however, with the reopening of borders to overseas visitors, difficulties in making everyday payments have become a common complaint.

After the change foreign tourists can easily utilize WeChat Pay and Alipay by following a simple process, and tourists can link their international debit or credit cards to their WeChat Pay or Alipay wallet, without a Chinese bank account.