How to Pay in China as a Traveller (2025 Edition)
Travelling in mainland China can be an incredible experience — but when it comes to payments, it’s not quite as straightforward as in many other countries.
In megacities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, using Visa or Mastercard is generally not a problem in shopping malls or international hotels. However, in second- and third-tier cities, they’re almost unusable.
In this post, I’ll introduce some of China’s local payment methods and share my ideal setup — hopefully it’ll make your trip a little smoother.
China was one of the first countries to fully embrace digital payments. However, China's digital payment ecosystem is largely independent of international card networks and is built around domestic platforms such as Alipay, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay.
As of 2025, if you offer cash in a small café, for example, the staff might look a little puzzled — they may not even have enough change to give you back. These small businesses often don’t have POS machines either, so Alipay (China’s version of PayPal) is the most convenient way to pay.
Alipay
Alipay is China’s most popular payment platform. You can easily register using an international phone number and passport, then link your Visa or Mastercard to it.
There’s usually no handling fee for payments under 200 RMB (about $27) — ideal for street food, convenience stores, and similar everyday spending.
It’s also a good idea to link a debit card. Credit cards are not widely used in China, and some smaller vendors may only accept debit cards.
UnionPay Card
UnionPay is China’s domestic bank card system and is widely accepted throughout the country. Foreign travellers can obtain a UnionPay card in several ways:
Some overseas banks issue UnionPay cards, such as Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG) in Japan.
You can open an account with the overseas branches of Chinese banks (e.g., Bank of China in Tokyo or Singapore, or ICBC in many countries).
Some banks within China, such as ICBC, now allow foreigners to open accounts.
UnionPay cards are especially useful for making larger purchases such as hotel stays or attraction tickets.
Suggested setup 🌟
If I were visiting China as a tourist, this would be my ideal setup:
Alipay and link V/M cards. Use this for small transactions under 200 RMB (e.g., street food, Didi — China’s Uber, metro tickets).
UnionPay card for purchases over 200 RMB, such as shopping and dining.
200 ~ 500 RMB in cash as an emergency backup in case digital payments fail.
Optional: International banks
If you're planning a longer stay or frequent visits to China, you might want to consider an international bank such as HSBC "The world's local bank". It’s widely used by British travellers and businesses, and has many branches in major Chinese cities.
Financial systems vary from country to country
Each country and bank has its own set of financial rules and policies, and it can be quite confusing. What I’ve shared here is based on my own research and feedback from other travellers — it might not be 100% accurate, so feel free to share any updates or corrections.
Both UnionPay and Alipay are expanding their reach across the Asia-Pacific region and often offer discounts, even outside of China. Once set up, they can also be useful when travelling to other parts of Asia.
Be cautious of foreign currency conversion fees (FCC & DCC)
Watch out for hidden fees when using your V/M cards abroad. Many cards charge a foreign transaction fee — often around 1.95% — when paying in a non-home currency.
It may not sound like much, but it adds up quickly. For example, if you spend 20,000 RMB, you might lose nearly 400 RMB in an instant.
Hope you have a lovely time in China. Cheers !