ChinaQuest
Plan on WhatsApp
Glossary

What WeChat Pay Is and Who Needs It

A shop sign shows a green payment logo and you wonder if you can use it.

Plan my payments

WeChat Pay is the payment feature inside WeChat, China’s main messaging app. In Mandarin it is Weixin Pay, 微信支付, and Malaysian Chinese travellers already know the WeChat app from home.

It works like other QR payments: scan a shop’s code or show yours. Foreign cards can be linked, and the authorities have told platforms to speed up binding of overseas bank cards and simplify identity checks[1].

What you need

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards can be bound to Alipay and Weixin Pay without a Chinese bank account[2]. Verification needs the passport name and a live selfie, and the same name should be used in both apps[3].

Where you will meet it on a trip

You will see its green logo at restaurants, small shops and markets, and some places take one app but not the other. That is why it helps to set up both.

One practical tip

Set up at home and test a small payment before you fly. Also carry cash. The central bank says renminbi cash is legal tender, merchants should display a cash-accepted sign, and refusing cash is to be penalised[4].

Our guide on WeChat Pay with a foreign card walks through the steps.

Not sure whether to set up WeChat Pay or Alipay first? Tell us who is travelling and we will help you sort the order for your group.

Ask about WeChat Pay

Read next

  • TermWhat Alipay Is and How Visitors Use It

    What Alipay is, why it matters on a China trip, how foreign cards link to it, and the checks to make at home before you fly from Malaysia.

  • TermWhat UnionPay Is for Travellers

    What UnionPay is, where its logo shows up on a China trip, how it differs from QR apps and Visa or Mastercard, and why a card plus cash backup still helps.

  • TermWhat Didi Is and How Visitors Hail a Ride

    What Didi is, how visitors reach it through the Alipay mini program without a Chinese phone number, and tips for hailing rides with family and bags.

  • TermWhat Amap Is and Why You May Need It

    What Amap (Gaode) is, why it is the map app China visitors reach for, how its English version helps, and what to download before you fly from Malaysia.

Questions Malaysians ask

Can I link a Malaysian card to WeChat Pay?

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards can be bound to Weixin Pay without a Chinese bank account, per a secondary guide. Card rules change, so try the link at home and keep another way to pay in case the bind fails.

Do I need WeChat Pay if I already have Alipay?

Not strictly, but a second method helps because some shops favour one app. Setting up both takes little extra time, and the verification uses the same passport name. Choose the one your group finds easier first, and add the other before the trip if you have time.

Is cash still accepted in China?

Yes. The central bank says renminbi cash is legal tender, merchants should display a cash-accepted sign, and refusing cash is to be penalised. Carry some cash for small places and for any moment the phone fails, especially if grandparents are travelling with you.

Sources

  1. Xinhua via english.www.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-19
  2. MyChinaGuide, checked 2026-10-19
  3. MyChinaGuide, checked 2026-10-19
  4. Xinhua via english.www.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-19

Rules, schedules and prices change. Confirm with the official source before you travel.

Thinking about China?

Not sure whether to set up WeChat Pay or Alipay first? Tell us who is travelling and we will help you sort the order for your group.

Message us on WhatsApp