Paying in China
Mobile wallets, foreign cards, cash and the departure tax refund — what to set up before you fly and what can wait.
How foreign tourists pay in China
The five official ways foreign visitors pay in mainland China, which ones work on a short trip, and the two official limits that contradict each other.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaWeChat Pay for foreign travellers
WeChat Pay for foreign travellers, from WeChat’s own English help pages: card networks, the 3% fee above CNY 200, and the CNY 6,500 per-payment cap.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaAlipay for foreign travellers
Alipay for foreign travellers: the card networks China’s official guide lists, and why the widely quoted 3% fee is WeChat’s rule, not Alipay’s.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaInternational cards in China
Using an international card in mainland China: where the plastic is accepted, why the UnionPay App will not help a European card, and prepaid card costs.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaCash in China
Cash in China: the PBOC rule against refusing yuan, the CNY 20,000 carry limit, the USD 5,000 declaration, and the amount nobody official recommends.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaATMs and getting cash
Getting yuan from a Chinese ATM with a foreign card: Bank of China’s published CNY 3,000 per-withdrawal limit, and why that is not a national rule.
Read the guide →Paying in ChinaChina departure tax refund
China departure VAT refund for overseas visitors: the CNY200 same-store rule, the 11% and 8% refund rates, customs verification and the 2026 paperless change.
Read the guide →