alipay vs wechat pay. which one works for tourists.

Guru

just got back from 3 weeks in china. used both alipay and wechat pay. here's which one actually works for tourists.

alipay wins. no question. here's why.

setting up alipay. download app, sign up with international phone number, upload passport photo and selfie. verification took about 12 hours. then add your credit card. done.

what i could pay with alipay. street food. sit down restaurants. subways. didi (their uber). museums. even some vending machines.

wechat pay. harder. you need a friend who already has wechat to verify you. i didn't have that. so i couldn't set it up.

cash is still accepted but some places act annoyed. i used cash maybe 3 times the whole trip.

bring some cash as backup but alipay covers almost everything.

one thing. alipay tour pass. if your credit card won't link, try this. it's a prepaid card within alipay. load money from your card and use it like a local. worked for my friend.

download alipay before you go. verification takes time.

you'll still need cash for small street stalls sometimes. maybe 200 yuan is enough.

hope this helps someone who's stressing about payment.