Set up mobile pay, cash and ATMs

Choose the route that fits your card

For food, taxis and shops, start with Alipay (支付宝) or Weixin Pay (微信支付), the payment service inside WeChat. Eligible overseas debit and credit cards can fund merchant purchases. Your bank still authorizes each charge, so check the card's mainland China use, foreign currency fees and authentication method before departure.

A physical card is useful where a terminal accepts its network. Ask about direct card payment for a large hotel or shopping bill before selecting an app. Cash suits purchases collected in person. Face-to-face staffed businesses must support RMB cash; a wholly online seller can specify its payment methods in advance.

If your Visa or Mastercard was issued in Russia, its network does not support use outside Russia. Adding it to a wallet does not restore that service. Check the country that issued your card.

TenPayGo

TenPayGo is Tencent’s standalone payment app for visitors to China. Register with your email, then link an overseas Visa, Mastercard or JCB card, Apple Pay, or a partner wallet. At mainland Chinese shops that accept WeChat Pay, scan the merchant’s code or show your payment code. You can get started without a Chinese phone number, WeChat account or Chinese bank card. Download it from App Store or Google Play.

TenPayGo shows the card service fee before you confirm a payment. Charges for a linked partner wallet follow that wallet’s terms.

Set up abroad and keep access to bank messages

Download Alipay for iPhone or Android, or WeChat for iPhone or Android. Register with your international mobile number, add a supported card in the bank-card section and complete the identity steps the app requests. Have your valid travel document available. In Weixin Pay, the international card must be in your own name.

Card registration, identity verification and a completed merchant payment are separate steps. An added card is ready to select when paying; a zero wallet balance does not mean the linked-card route is incomplete. It is not a way to top up the balance, send a personal transfer or give a red packet.

Keep the phone number your bank uses for SMS available during the trip. If you add a travel data eSIM, check how your phone keeps the home SIM active for incoming messages and check your mobile provider's roaming charges. Also keep access to the bank app if that is how you approve payments.

Make the first real purchase

At a counter, use the method the merchant offers:

  • Scan their code: open the scanner, read the merchant's QR code, enter the agreed CNY amount if required and select your linked card.
  • Show your code: open the payment-code screen, select the funding card and let the cashier scan the code.

Review the merchant, amount, funding source and any fee, then authorize the payment. Check the completed transaction together with the cashier.

A merchant payment and a transfer to a person's wallet are different functions. If the screen opens a personal transfer that your international card cannot fund, ask for the merchant payment route or pay cash. Useful phrases are 可以刷卡吗？ for card payment and 我付现金。 for cash.

Separate app fees from card fees

The standard international-card service fee in Alipay and Weixin Pay is waived for a single payment of CNY 200 or less. Above CNY 200, the normal fee is 3% of the whole amount. A CNY 300 purchase therefore adds CNY 9 in platform fees before any issuer charge. This rule was checked on 13 October 2026.

Weixin Pay has a current offer: from 27 May to 31 December 2026, qualifying users who link an international card for the first time receive a 3% service-fee waiver for 90 consecutive calendar days from their first purchase, within a daily CNY 1,000 allowance. Read the discount on the payment screen, especially for an order that crosses the allowance. The offer does not remove your bank's own charges.

Your card network and issuer determine conversion into your account currency. The issuer may add foreign transaction charges, minimum charges or its own purchase limits. For many small food purchases, those minimum charges can matter more than the platform fee. Compare direct card payment, app payment and cash for a large bill using the terms of your actual card.

Get cash at Kunming airport

At Kunming Changshui Airport (昆明长水国际机场), go to the B1 international arrivals hall. The international visitor service centre provides payment help, cash services and change packs. Its Bank of China ATM offers 24-hour withdrawal; the published service information identifies CNY 10 as the smallest note denomination.

For currency exchange, YuXin (宇鑫) is at T1 B1 international arrivals, B1AL11, opposite Door 2. The operator lists daily hours of 06:00–24:00 and telephone 0871-67086025. Bring valid ID for counter exchange; no advance appointment is required. Ask for the actual rate, total CNY received and any charge before exchanging. The ATM's hours and this desk's hours are different.

Withdraw before the next rural or walking leg

Bank of China supports withdrawals with foreign-issued UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards. Its single foreign-card withdrawal limit is CNY 3,000. The issuer determines other cumulative limits and applicable cash-withdrawal or balance-inquiry fees. A credit-card withdrawal can have different costs from a debit-card purchase, so compare your issuer's terms.

Look for your network on the machine and keep the receipt. Get small notes for transport, meals and market purchases. Before leaving Kunming, Dali or Lijiang for a village stay or trek, set aside enough cash for the expenses you plan to pay in person. Base the amount on your itinerary, prepaid bookings and accommodation's stated payment method.

Pay as a family and keep refunds open

One adult can pay a shared restaurant or shop bill. Adults making separate purchases can set up their own eligible card and account. Children without phones can use small CNY notes for snacks and gifts.

Ask the original merchant to process a refund. Save the order number, wallet transaction, amount and date, and compare the result with your card statement. Keep access to the account and original card until it is complete. Weixin Pay returns its international-card service fee in proportion to the refunded amount; issuer charges and exchange-rate effects follow your card's terms.

For unused CNY obtained by withdrawing on a foreign card, SAFE rules allow reconversion at a bank counter within six months of the withdrawal, using the original withdrawal voucher. Keep that ATM receipt and your ID. For unused CNY obtained by exchanging foreign cash, bring valid ID and the original exchange memo to Bank of China for reconversion. Keep that memo separately from an ATM withdrawal receipt; the two rules concern different ways of obtaining your yuan.

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