Apple Pay and Google Pay in China

You can use Apple Pay and Google Wallet at international hotel desks and large shopping malls in Chongqing (重庆) when their card machines accept your card network. For street noodles, corner convenience stores, taxis, and metro rides, you will scan a QR code instead. Setting up your apps and completing bank verification before you fly saves you from payment headaches on the ground.

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.

How phone taps and QR codes work in China

In Chongqing (重庆), shopkeepers usually place a printed QR code stand on the counter. Both methods use your smartphone, but they connect to completely different payment networks.

Use your phone tap wallet when a hotel or department store has an international card terminal. When you see a printed counter stand or order from a tabletop code, open a QR payment app instead. Knowing which tool to use keeps every purchase fast and simple.

Where Apple Pay fits into your trip

Apple Pay is available in mainland China. You will see Apple Pay, UnionPay QuickPass, and China T-Union logos at many retail counters.

A UnionPay logo by itself does not mean a card reader accepts an overseas Visa or Mastercard. For an international card to work with Apple Pay, the machine must support contactless taps and the business must have an agreement with your card network.

Ask the cashier before tapping: Can I pay with Visa? (可以刷 Visa 吗？; Keyi shua Visa ma?) If they confirm contactless payment, hold your phone near the terminal.

Always carry your physical bank card as a backup. Hotels often prefer a physical card for check-in security deposits. If you travel with multi-currency cards, read our guide on how Revolut and Wise pair with your phone wallet.

Where Google Wallet fits

Google Wallet tap payments require a card issued in a supported country by a participating bank. Your phone also needs near-field communication (NFC) turned on in your settings.

The merchant terminal must accept your specific card network. Because Google services are restricted in mainland China, complete all bank SMS verification steps before you board your flight.

Tap with Google Wallet when a hotel desk, airport shop, or department store reader clearly accepts foreign credit cards. You can also use Google Pay online when booking flights or train tickets on international travel websites.

For noodle shops, tea stands, and local grocery stores, tap readers are rare. Link your foreign card directly to a Chinese QR app instead, then use that app to scan the merchant's code. To learn how other familiar apps behave, check our guide on PayPal and home payment apps.

Get ready in four easy steps

1. Check your card network. Make sure your card is on a major international network like Visa or Mastercard. Let your bank know you are traveling so overseas charges go through without security blocks.
2. Set up your phone wallet at home. Add your card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet while still in your home country. Finish all bank verification codes before you fly.
3. Link your card to a QR app. Download Alipay (支付宝; Zhifubao) or WeChat Pay (微信支付). Add your international card and complete the in-app passport identity check.
4. Learn the two payment motions. Practice scanning a merchant's printed QR code with your camera (扫一扫), and learn how to show your own barcode for the cashier to scan (收付款).

Carry a small amount of Chinese yuan (RMB) cash for emergencies or small market stalls. Keep access to your mobile banking app to monitor charges. Our detailed payment guide covers international-card service fees charged to users, including the standard 3% fee on payments over 200 RMB, available fee waivers, and ATM cash tips.

Taking the metro and booking attractions

A shop payment code and a subway gate transit code are not the same thing. Showing a regular shop payment QR code will not open a metro turnstile.

To ride the subway in Chongqing, open the transport mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat Pay, or buy a single-ride ticket at the station ticket machine. Read our metro and transport guide for step-by-step ticketing walkthroughs.

If you use a digital transit card in Apple Wallet, treat it as a separate prepaid card. It requires local top-ups and cannot directly charge your foreign credit card.

For Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道) tickets or an evening river cruise, use the payment options on your booking page. Alipay or WeChat Pay payments funded by a linked international card come from that card, not from wallet balance. On the ground in Chongqing, keep things simple: tap your phone card at luxury shops and hotels, scan a QR code at street restaurants, and keep a small banknote in your pocket just in case.