Can I link my foreign card to Alipay and WeChat Pay?

Set it up before you fly. Both apps accept a foreign mobile number that can receive SMS and use your passport to verify identity. The verification steps and when they appear depend on the app and how much you spend. Keep your passport handy. If you cannot find the apps in your app store, both have Android installers on their websites: WeChat at weixin.qq.com (as its Help Center recommends for Android users who cannot reach Google Play), and Alipay at d.alipay.com. If WeChat asks for a friend to verify your new account, see what to do without one.

Which cards: WeChat Pay's international-card help page lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover and overseas-issued UnionPay. For Alipay, the government's payment guide lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover; Amex announced an Alipay integration in February 2025 for “eligible” Amex cards, and press reporting says Amex-network cards issued by other banks outside the mainland are excluded. If Amex is your main card, bind it to WeChat Pay and test Alipay before departure.

“Supported” means the network is accepted, not that your card will bind. The Ministry of Commerce guide is explicit that binding needs the issuing bank's authorisation and that the issuer may refuse. The basic fields are card number, expiry and security code (simplified in March 2024), but the app or your bank can add a name or billing check, a one-time code or 3-D Secure.

Both apps have accepted overseas-issued UnionPay cards since November 2024. The fee waiver at launch was a promotion. Check the fee shown in the app before paying.

The most common failure is your bank, not the app: fraud rules that block China or cross-border online transactions decline the bind or the first payment. Tell your bank you are travelling before you leave and, if you can, bind two cards from different banks.

Travellers report that virtual, prepaid and no-name cards are rejected more often, and that middle names, hyphens or accents can cause name mismatches during verification. Neither app has confirmed these reports. If you get stuck, use Help or Support inside the app rather than a phone number found online. In Shenzhen, the overseas visitor service centres at Bao'an Airport T3 (open 24/7) and Shenzhen Bay Port help with installing and setting up mobile payment, according to the city's culture and tourism bureau.