🇨🇳 CHINA Mid Week - 12/Feb: Before You Land in China: Fix Your Payments First
- Yousef Almehrzi
- Feb 12
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 14
Before You Land in China: Fix Your Payments First
If you’re traveling from the UAE to China, here is one practical step that will shape your entire trip:
Set up your digital payments before you fly.
In cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, daily transactions run through QR codes.
Taxis, cafés, supermarkets, even small vendors often expect payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay.
International credit cards are technically accepted in some places, but on the ground they frequently cause delays.
Cash can also slow things down, especially when shops don’t carry change.
China is not “becoming” cashless. It already operates that way.
Arriving without your payment apps verified means friction from the first taxi ride. After a long flight, that’s the last thing you want.
Before departure:
Download Alipay
Switch to English
Complete passport verification
Link your international card
Test it if possible
If your phone is properly set up, China feels seamless.If it isn’t, even simple purchases become complicated.
One small preparation step in the UAE makes a noticeable difference on the ground.
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