Paying for steaming bowls of noodles, metro rides, and late-night taxis in Chongqing is fast once your phone is ready. Link an international credit or debit card before you board your flight, keep a few small cash notes handy, and you can pay like a local across the city.

Quick Guide

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.

Set up your payment apps before you fly

Download Alipay or WeChat from your app store before traveling. Register with a mobile phone number that can receive text messages during your trip.

Complete the real-name identity verification in each app. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport. International visitors can link supported foreign credit or debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and JCB.

Keep your passport nearby to take a clear photo during the verification step. Make sure your home bank card can receive one-time security codes by SMS so you can approve the card link.

Set your app language to English in the account settings. You can also review our guide on setting up essential travel apps before your flight. Testing your card setup before landing saves you from standing in long airport queues.

Learn the two ways to scan

At noodle stalls, street snack carts, and small corner shops, you will usually scan the merchant's printed QR code. Tap Scan (扫一扫) in your app, point your camera at the stand, type the exact total in Chinese yuan, and confirm. Show the green or blue success screen to the shop owner before stepping away.

At supermarkets, convenience stores, and department stores, the cashier scans your screen instead. Open your app's Payment Code (付款码; fukuanma) and hold the barcode toward their handheld scanner or optical reader. The app deducts the total automatically without needing you to enter the amount.

Always use the merchant business code. International cards pay for goods and restaurant meals, but they cannot send peer-to-peer transfers to individual personal accounts. If a small food stall code does not process your foreign card, simply pay with cash or try your other payment app.

Avoid checkout fees and understand bank rates

App processing fees and bank currency conversion rates are two separate charges. Your home bank may add a foreign exchange fee on non-local transactions even when Alipay or WeChat charges zero fees. Check your home card's international spending terms before departing.

A WeChat Pay promotion announced on 27 May 2026 gives people linking an international card for the first time a 90-day fee waiver. This special offer waives the standard 3% card fee on daily spending up to RMB 1,000, starting from the day of your first purchase. This offer runs until 31 December 2026.

Outside of promotional waivers, standard WeChat Pay rules waive the card processing fee on single purchases of RMB 200 or less. For single purchases above RMB 200, a 3% fee applies to the entire transaction amount.

Alipay also applies a 3% fee on single transactions exceeding RMB 200. To save money, split larger restaurant bills or shopping receipts into smaller payments under RMB 200 whenever the merchant allows.

Carry small cash notes and a backup card

Chinese yuan cash (RMB) remains legal tender. Keep small RMB 10 and RMB 20 banknotes in your daypack. Small notes are handy for buying bottled water, paying street stalls, or picking up tickets when digital networks lag.

You can withdraw RMB cash at airport and bank ATMs that display Visa or Mastercard network logos. You can also change foreign currency banknotes at official bank branches and airport exchange counters. ATM machines and home banks may charge per-withdrawal fees, so withdraw enough cash for several days in a single visit.

Keep one physical plastic bank card in your wallet for hotel check-in deposits and train ticket counters. A major hotel will happily swipe an international card, while a traditional Chongqing noodle stall (重庆小面) relies on QR codes and small cash notes.

Pay with your home country wallet

If you already use a digital wallet in your home country, you might not need to link a card to a new app.

Thai travelers using TrueMoney from Thailand can pay directly at participating Alipay QR merchant stands across Chongqing. For European and American payment options, compare your home payment apps in China.

Since August 2026, US users can pay participating Weixin Pay merchants in mainland China directly. This feature applies to US PayPal accounts and draws funds from your PayPal Balance. Update the PayPal app, add funds to your balance before traveling, and scan Weixin Pay QR codes in stores.

Eligible Wise account holders can scan Alipay merchant QR codes directly inside the Wise app. Eligible account regions include:

  • United Kingdom
  • Europe
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Brazil

This Wise feature depends on where your account is registered rather than your passport nationality. Accounts registered in the US and Canada cannot scan Chinese QR codes directly at this time. Read our full comparison in Revolut and Wise in China.

Pick the right transit QR code

A transit QR code is different from a regular shop checkout code. To ride the metro and city buses with your phone, open the Transit Code (乘车码; chengchema) mini-program in Alipay or WeChat and select Chongqing Rail Transit. Swipe the transit code across the turnstile scanner when entering and exiting stations.

When booking taxis with ride-hailing services, verify your default payment card and the estimated fare before confirming the ride.

Common questions

Is Chongqing completely cashless?

No. Mobile payments are the most common payment method, and staffed shops must accept RMB cash. Carrying small RMB 10 and RMB 20 notes is helpful for small street snacks, drinks, and station ticket machines.

Does WeChat Pay charge a 3% fee on every purchase over RMB 200?

Not always. Under a May 2026 promotional waiver, first-time international card linkers receive 90 days of fee-free spending up to RMB 1,000 per day. Under standard rules, single transactions of RMB 200 or less are always fee-free.

Sources & updates