Overseas visitors · Mobile payment guide

WeChat Pay for Overseas Visitors: Activate & Use in China

In China, your phone beats your wallet—convenience stores, restaurants, metro, and food delivery mostly take WeChat or Alipay only. You don’t need a Chinese phone number or ID: complete real-name verification and add an international credit card, and you can pay by scan. Below we walk through how to set it up, what to prepare, and what you can do once it’s active.

At a glance

  • ID required: Foreign passport, Chinese permanent residence permit, Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau travel permit, or similar—one of these
  • Card: Visa, Mastercard, or JCB international credit card; no mainland bank card needed
  • What you can do: Scan-to-pay—transit, delivery, dining, convenience stores, supermarkets, group buys
  • What you can’t do: Top up balance, transfer to others, or send red packets (these are limited when using an international card)

What to prepare before activating

WeChat Pay requires real-name verification first. Use one ID document that matches your status.

Foreign passport (most common)

Most overseas visitors can verify with a passport, then add a Visa, Mastercard, or JCB credit card—no Chinese bank account needed.

Chinese permanent residence permit

If you have a Chinese permanent residence permit, you can use it for verification; the flow is similar to using a passport.

Hong Kong / Macau / Taiwan travel permits

Hong Kong and Macau residents can use their Home Return Permit or residence permit; Taiwan residents can use their Taiwan Compatriot Permit or residence permit. In WeChat, select the matching document type.

Activation steps

With your ID ready, follow these steps in WeChat; it usually takes a few minutes.

  1. Step 1: Open Wallet

    Open the WeChat app, tap “Me” (bottom right) → “Services” → “Wallet” to reach the wallet screen.

  2. Step 2: Start real-name verification

    In Wallet, go to “Identity info” → “Verify”, accept the terms, then fill in the form.

  3. Step 3: Enter your identity details

    Enter name, gender, document type and number, validity dates, occupation, address, etc., exactly as on your ID.

  4. Step 4: Add a bank card if prompted

    WeChat may ask for a bank card for extra verification. If you don’t have a mainland card, skip and continue to add an international card in the next step.

  5. Step 5: Add your international credit card

    Choose Visa, Mastercard, or JCB and enter card type, number, expiry, CVV, and billing address. Complete binding after entering the SMS verification code.

  6. Step 6: Set your payment password

    Set a 6-digit payment password and finish verification as prompted. Once done, scan-to-pay will charge your linked credit card.

What you can do after linking a card

✓ Available

Scan-to-pay: buses and metro, ride-hailing, group buys, delivery, dining, convenience stores, supermarkets, and online shopping—pay with “Scan” like locals; charges go to your linked card at the day’s exchange rate.

✗ Not supported (with international card)

With an international card, balance top-up, transfers to others, and red packets are not available. For full features you’d need a Chinese bank account; for a short trip, scan-to-pay is usually enough.

FAQ

  • Can I use a foreign credit card with WeChat Pay?
    Yes. Since 2019, Tencent has allowed linking international credit cards issued abroad. Support is limited: mainly scan-to-pay; balance top-up, transfers, and red packets are not available. For full features, open and link a Chinese bank card.
  • Do I have to add a bank card for real-name verification?
    All users must complete real-name verification. Overseas users without a Chinese ID enter their identity details; WeChat may also ask for a linked card for extra verification. For paying, you typically need at least one card—if you don’t have a mainland card, you can link a Visa, Mastercard, or JCB credit card.