You don't need to carry a physical wallet to really live. When you are living in China as a foreigner or expat, it is essential to make payment transactions for your daily life and shopping. You can use the mobile payment system to quickly pay bills without having to talk in Chinese.
There are two main mobile payment systems in China - wechat Pay and Alipay. This article tells about the foreigner's Alipay guide, what is Alipay? You can use the Alipay app on Android and iPhone by verifying your phone number and bank card number. After successful verification, you can make a number of operations such as taxi booking, bill payment and money transfer directly from your Alipay account. The Alipay app is a one-stop payment solution for making, receiving and transferring payments.
Foreigners are required to verify their real names with bank cards and verify their phone numbers before using financial apps such as Alipay and wechat Pay in China. Therefore, before registering with the Alipay app, please prepare the following. Make a note of your passport number and, if possible, keep a scanned copy on your phone for uploading. Have the correct mobile number, preferably a Chinese mobile number, to obtain the verification code. Keep your China Bank account details and you must use a China debit or credit card to transfer funds from the app.
On your mobile phone, visit the official Alipay website and download the Alipay app. Alternatively, you can download the App from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Sign up with your official mobile number to get a text message with a unique verification code. Use a verification code to confirm your identity. The next step is to set a password for your app, and if it's available on your device, you can enable Touch or Face ID. Now, you can log into your Alipay account. Please remember that your phone number is your Alipay account. In addition, you will have a QR code similar to wechat Pay, and you can also associate your Taobao account with Alipay.
Go to the "Settings" page and click on the "General" option. Click the "Language" option again and select "English" as your language. Even though you set the language to English, some options will still be displayed in Chinese only. What can you do with Alipay? Wechat Pay and Alipay are the top two online payment processing apps in China. For foreigners, wechat has many advantages over Alipay. However, it is still worth using Alipay, because some places can only use Alipay. Transfer to other Alipay accounts and bank cards. Top up your or anyone else's phone. Interested in using Tmall, Taobao, Didi Taxi and other services. Send and receive red packets on special occasions. Pay utility bills and buy goods by scanning QR codes. Add friends, chat with them, send or receive money and red packets. Keep in mind that in order to use any of the above features, you should add a bank card and verify it through your Alipay account.