Alipay

Foreign visitors can register with a non-mainland number and bind an international card. A mainland bank account is not required.

Install Alipay (Ant Group) from your home store, not AlipayHK, unless you already use an Alipay+ home wallet.

Official path in 2026 is direct card bind in the main app. Do not treat Tour Pass as the default — new applications were not verified as open.

Ant Group list (5 Sep 2024): Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, Diners, UnionPay International. Amex can bind, but Amex cards issued by third parties outside the mainland are currently not eligible.

Regulatory ceiling still cited in July 2026: USD 5,000 per transaction / USD 50,000 a year. That is an institutional ceiling, not a guarantee.

Municipal pages republish a fee waived under RMB 200 and 3% above. Read the confirmation screen. It changes often.

Foreign-card wallets: merchant payments yes; person-to-person transfers no. Alipay English hotline +86-571-2688-6000.