Wechat wallet

yhw22

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Most places in China will still take cash. As tourists, mobile payment platform are not necessary. It's helpful, convenient definitely, but not necessary.

Similar to how if a tourist comes to Singapore; no local sim,no ride hailing app,no ezlink card, no PayLah/NetsPay.
Most places now in China accept we chat or alipay, etc. Cash they accept but no change.

Whereas in Singapore most already start accepting we chat pay, alipay, etc. So is convenient to them as tourist in Singapore but not for tourist when in China.

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galacticnick

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Just use cash or a unionpay credit card. I’m currently in China (Guangzhou), and no one has rejected cash payment.

But do download WeChat. It’s extremely useful for ordering food and getting a queue number for restaurants.
 

st2shaw

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Just use cash or a unionpay credit card. I’m currently in China (Guangzhou), and no one has rejected cash payment.

But do download WeChat. It’s extremely useful for ordering food and getting a queue number for restaurants.

Hi
Any reason you're suggesting to use Unionpay credit card?

Have wechat but hardly use that, most friends and contacts are on whatsapp

I have been using samsung pay for a while now...i have credit cards set up there and also GPay.

I think it has become a habit now, I don't have to go through the hassle of looking into my handbag to dig out my wallet to get my card. I use credit for everything here in Singapore... but overseas use there's the exchange rate misc charge etc

I thought for travelling using mobile payment RMB for street food and small price items is very convenient, not having to show any money figuring out which is what how much?!?!
 

madcampus

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The only convenient app to use in China is their cab hailing app Didi Chuxing. It links to your credit card and use it as how Grab/Uber does. Simple.


But for Wechat and Alipay is still a hurdle. If regular visitor, trader, business, working in China, of course will keep a China number, open a China bank account, have a China address. Why would a 5-day trip tourist do the above mentioned?? These one-off tourist is better off paying in cash.
 

Ghost^recon

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Use sg debit card can.. carousell got 1 guy teach for $5.. he helped me.. but i forgot how liaoz..
 

Mergui219067

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These China products believe they are really the ‘central of the world’ ( 中国 ).

They don’t bother to link up with others so that all of us can use them like Visa / MasterCard.
 

yhw22

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These China products believe they are really the ‘central of the world’ ( 中国 ).

They don’t bother to link up with others so that all of us can use them like Visa / MasterCard.

Agreed. They expected the whole world to follow them. They don't care your $$$. As they are the big spender.
 

yiwei

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because a lot of places in China do not accept visa/master, it is more likely they accept your unionpay card, and for the BOC Zaobao card you get 5% rebate with minimum 600SGD spending in a calendar month.
 

yhw22

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because a lot of places in China do not accept visa/master, it is more likely they accept your unionpay card, and for the BOC Zaobao card you get 5% rebate with minimum 600SGD spending in a calendar month.
It is that they don't believe in using credit card. They prefer hard cash. But now prefer using wechat pay, alipay, etc..

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wualex_98

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For those with WeChat wallet setup or Alipay with 3rd party money transferred in, did you tried to pay through merchant? I have my alipay setup with my friend transferred money in, I can transfer money in/out no issue with others. However I tried this in Singapore but failed with merchant supporting alipay, message that real-name authentication is required.

Any advice?
 

HoGnix

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you can log into your Alipay account on windows computer and submit your document(your IC copy).

For those with WeChat wallet setup or Alipay with 3rd party money transferred in, did you tried to pay through merchant? I have my alipay setup with my friend transferred money in, I can transfer money in/out no issue with others. However I tried this in Singapore but failed with merchant supporting alipay, message that real-name authentication is required.

Any advice?
 

madcampus

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It is because their MAS didn't open up to visa and master. It is not as common as Union pay

Last year or so, China wayang that they going to give approval and make it more common.

https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/03/news/companies/mastercard-visa-amex-china/index.html

Visa MasterCard is uncommon in China. Every time I use, the staff need to call their manager down settle. Last I ate hai di lao in Shenzhen, they also took some time to find the manager and special wireless machine for my visa. Unionpay on the other hand is widely accepted.
 

Mancunian2

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I still have my china bank account from 2003 but no longer have any china mobile number, can use wechat pay? someone just sent me a red packet
 

seowbin

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I still have my china bank account from 2003 but no longer have any china mobile number, can use wechat pay? someone just sent me a red packet
for bank side, that atm card most likely it's locked and maybe the card already expired therefore you can't add $ or withdraw $ to your china atm card
 

Mergui219067

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Baidu / WeChat etc are simply copied Google / WhatsApp etc.
Their ‘success’ are simply because the later are banned in China but huge population.

And almost other countries are not using these 翻版 .



It is because their MAS didn't open up to visa and master. ]
 

galacticnick

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Hi
Any reason you're suggesting to use Unionpay credit card?

Have wechat but hardly use that, most friends and contacts are on whatsapp

I have been using samsung pay for a while now...i have credit cards set up there and also GPay.

I think it has become a habit now, I don't have to go through the hassle of looking into my handbag to dig out my wallet to get my card. I use credit for everything here in Singapore... but overseas use there's the exchange rate misc charge etc

I thought for travelling using mobile payment RMB for street food and small price items is very convenient, not having to show any money figuring out which is what how much?!?!

UP is the only cashless alternative to Wechat Pay or AliPay, which most of us in Singapore have no access to unless we have a China-based bank account and mobile number. UP is widely accepted in major cities. It saved me the trouble of withdrawing cash from the ATM (not all of them are on the Plus or Cirrus network).
 

beanstalk6

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UP is the only cashless alternative to Wechat Pay or AliPay, which most of us in Singapore have no access to unless we have a China-based bank account and mobile number. UP is widely accepted in major cities. It saved me the trouble of withdrawing cash from the ATM (not all of them are on the Plus or Cirrus network).

IMHO, above summarises the current situation nicely.
WeChat/Alipay requires China bank account and mobile to be able to pay cashlessly in China.

This means for tourists to China like us, we have to rely on cash still, and on occasion, UnionPay, Visa/Master, Amex in order of availability.

Suck thumb. We just have to accept their norms.
 

jywy2005

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To use WeChat, you need to link to to a China issued debit card and have a local number.

For alipay, I managed to link it to my Citibank credit card to TOP up my China mobile phone, but I could not transfer money or make payment in China at the roadside stalls. Not sure why.

Even if you have union pay cc, it has to be a China issued one, it is not accepted in most places unless big international hotels.

When I travel to China, I will park a sum of money in BOC dual currency debit card. Then go over there to withdraw small amounts if the need arises.
 

Taurus123

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For overseas transaction, NETSPay applies the foreign currency exchange rates provided by our global payment network partner, UnionPay International. The transaction amount will be converted to SGD and deducted from your NETSPay prepaid wallet.
A 1% admin fee for overseas transaction also applies.

There is QR code inside the Netspay app. Work kinda like wechat but with Singapore nets card

Sent from Samsung SM-N950F using GAGT
 
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