Alipay in China

[hfngshnll]

What I usually do is I look for my trusted china friends help, yes I have to pay some fee but better rate to transfer them via wise to their wechat/alipay then they transfer back to my account. I just use this directly deducted from the wallet after I have submitted my passport details. I can hold money in my wallet account.

sharing my experience after covid travels restarted.
in the lower tier areas, not the 1st tier 北上廣深. after hotel check-in process completed, i would ask the front desk people if they could help top up my wechat wallet. no need to pay any additional fees or charges. if they agreed, just scan my QR code to transfer.

1. international brand name hotel : front desk girl agreed to use her own wechat account to transfer to my wallet. i paid her the cash amount to transfer. she was worried i gave her fake $100 bills. lol.
2. local hotel brand : front desk girls not willing to do it. suggested i go to the nearby shops see if they ok.
3. local hotel brand : front desk said their hotel official policy do not allow them to help.
4..local hotel brand : front desk used their official hotel wechat account to transfer to me.

i reserve the wallet amount for 2 payment scenarios only :
1. if payment more than $200, i would select the source from card to wallet.
2. if payment deducted from card fails, same as above.

payment deducted from card sometime fails for various reasons, most likely my youtrip card is considered international card, and cannot be used to pay certain type of accounts, examples like paying to independent bus operators, individuals selling tickets, restaurants using scan-QR code menus run by meituan. some other individuals that helped me to pay first, i was able to pay them deducted thru card, so have not figured why some ok some not ok.

anyway, the above works for my travels. i do not have china phone no. only passport verifications done.

 

[gregory_choo]

some years back (before covid), had to pay to pee into a deep trench dug into the ground, dressed up with roof and walls. lol. during those rest stops along the long road journeys.

in western sichuan highlands, which is actually on the tibetan plateau 青藏高原.

Halfway doing your big business, someone flash water. Gold will be flowing right below you. And your gold moves to somewhere down the drain.

 

[gregory_choo]

sharing my experience after covid travels restarted.
in the lower tier areas, not the 1st tier 北上廣深. after hotel check-in process completed, i would ask the front desk people if they could help top up my wechat wallet. no need to pay any additional fees or charges. if they agreed, just scan my QR code to transfer.

1. international brand name hotel : front desk girl agreed to use her own wechat account to transfer to my wallet. i paid her the cash amount to transfer. she was worried i gave her fake $100 bills. lol.
2. local hotel brand : front desk girls not willing to do it. suggested i go to the nearby shops see if they ok.
3. local hotel brand : front desk said their hotel official policy do not allow them to help.
4..local hotel brand : front desk used their official hotel wechat account to transfer to me.

i reserve the wallet amount for 2 payment scenarios only :
1. if payment more than $200, i would select the source from card to wallet.
2. if payment deducted from card fails, same as above.

payment deducted from card sometime fails for various reasons, most likely my youtrip card is considered international card, and cannot be used to pay certain type of accounts, examples like paying to independent bus operators, individuals selling tickets, restaurants using scan-QR code menus run by meituan. some other individuals that helped me to pay first, i was able to pay them deducted thru card, so have not figured why some ok some not ok.

anyway, the above works for my travels. i do not have china phone no. only passport verifications done.

sometimes youtrip is asking for authorisation, if you are not aware or too late , then alipay transaction fails. i encountered a few failures because alipay time out very fast .

 

[meowo]

Does convenience stores at China, such as 7-11 or Family Mart, provide services of Alipay Top-up using cash? Example, I pass the cashier 100RMB and the cashier top-up the amount to my Alipay wallet.

 

[MeetYourTea]

Does convenience stores at China, such as 7-11 or Family Mart, provide services of Alipay Top-up using cash? Example, I pass the cashier 100RMB and the cashier top-up the amount to my Alipay wallet.

just link your alipay to yr debit/credit card.

u can use alipay app to call for didi their grab version.

i link my alipay to my trust bank card.

 

[gregory_choo]

Does convenience stores at China, such as 7-11 or Family Mart, provide services of Alipay Top-up using cash? Example, I pass the cashier 100RMB and the cashier top-up the amount to my Alipay wallet.

Provide free service and invite risks. What if you handed cashier fake money ?

How to do business like that ?

 

[dilphinus]

Does convenience stores at China, such as 7-11 or Family Mart, provide services of Alipay Top-up using cash? Example, I pass the cashier 100RMB and the cashier top-up the amount to my Alipay wallet.

NO

 

[kingmaker888]

Provide free service and invite risks. What if you handed cashier fake money ?

How to do business like that ?

i use cash in china man lol

 

[kingmaker888]

you can use cash or alipay, merchants will accept i asked for one yuan for bus lol

 

[meowo]

I read from this website (https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/637033139405584844.html) that user are able to purchase 充值码 from convenience store and post office etc...

The steps provided are as follows:
首先，使用电脑端登录支付宝账户（www.alipay.com），然后点击【充值】。接着，选择【充值到余额】—【充值码】—【充值码】，点击【下一步】。之后，输入您在合作网点购买的充值码，点击【确认提交】。当支付宝收银台提示充值成功时，意味着充值码充值已完成。

I used my laptop to login to www.alipay.com, the steps provided seems legit and it even showed the current balance in my wallet correctly.

Has anyone tried the above steps to top up their Alipay wallet using cash?

 

[beano]

Hijack this thread a bit.. do most of you link your alipay/wechat to your Youtrip card?

There's no way to avoid the transaction fee if above RMB200 right?

 

[twinbaby]

Once I try to book the cab right, it doesn’t seem to auto align to my current location. As a result I need to book the cab wrongly for about four times and cancel all four times. After I restart my phone already right then I was able to align to my current location. Also, in the evening right, I tried to book the cab and select two person, because two or more person option is greyed out, after I got into the cab ride, the person doesn’t seem to be very happy and asked me to change it on the spot. Also it seems to ask me to go to the application and pay later not on the spot. I'm not sure if there is a setting to make it automatically pay.

By the way, I have managed to receive the international SMS for my parents after the second day. However, I still run into some issue, for example, when my parents use the WeChat pay, it actually asked for DBS authentication and press the approved button. As such, I have no choice to go and use the Alipay instead thankfully, the vendor accept the blue option. I was also thinking if it's possible to use fingerprint for authentication instead of keying in the pin number all the time.

 

[explorerX]

Hijack this thread a bit.. do most of you link your alipay/wechat to your Youtrip card?

There's no way to avoid the transaction fee if above RMB200 right?

I linked both Trust debit & youtrip.
Break up into multiple payments, the merchants are ok with it. Only once i bought a set dinner, staff unable to break the payment, the fee came to about SGD 1.20, don't fret too much about it.

 

[matrix05]

After you link a credit card to Ali, you can use the app like paylah to pay? Ali can have unlimited access to yr CC? Is there any sms authorization form CC issusing bank? Exchange rate is CC's rate? There is no need to top (and you can't) wallet using CC?

Anw, try to activate wechat pay unsuccessful. No china bank acct, no china mobile number, no easy

 

[froztheart]

After you link a credit card to Ali, you can use the app like paylah to pay? Ali can have unlimited access to yr CC? Is there any sms authorization form CC issusing bank? Exchange rate is CC's rate? There is no need to top (and you can't) wallet using CC?

Anw, try to activate wechat pay unsuccessful. No china bank acct, no china mobile number, no easy

huh, linked to Alipay but use PayLah to pay? In what sense are you referring to?
Unlimited access, if you set recurring payment then yes, otherwise no as if other payment options.
Linked to CC, then exchange rate is as per your CC bank.

Wechat activation does not require China bank account nor mobile number.
Follow instructions and submit passport info wil do.

 

[froztheart]

Once I try to book the cab right, it doesn’t seem to auto align to my current location. As a result I need to book the cab wrongly for about four times and cancel all four times. After I restart my phone already right then I was able to align to my current location. Also, in the evening right, I tried to book the cab and select two person, because two or more person option is greyed out, after I got into the cab ride, the person doesn’t seem to be very happy and asked me to change it on the spot. Also it seems to ask me to go to the application and pay later not on the spot. I'm not sure if there is a setting to make it automatically pay.

By the way, I have managed to receive the international SMS for my parents after the second day. However, I still run into some issue, for example, when my parents use the WeChat pay, it actually asked for DBS authentication and press the approved button. As such, I have no choice to go and use the Alipay instead thankfully, the vendor accept the blue option. I was also thinking if it's possible to use fingerprint for authentication instead of keying in the pin number all the time.

Likely GPS/data issue with your device.
Interesting, never experienced the options for more pax greyed out before. But shouldn't matter since you are booking an entire ride, unless you selected the sharing option.

Yes, from experience first instance of usage/high sum will require verification from your bank. Subsequently, don't require further but your fingerprint/facial/payment PIN verification to approve transactions.

 

[matrix05]

huh, linked to Alipay but use PayLah to pay? In what sense are you referring to?
Unlimited access, if you set recurring payment then yes, otherwise no as if other payment options.
Linked to CC, then exchange rate is as per your CC bank.

Wechat activation does not require China bank account nor mobile number.
Follow instructions and submit passport info wil do.

Do you need to enable CC overseas payment for it to work on Ali?

Once CC is linked to Ali, there is no further need for request for SMS authentication for payment?

Tried set wechat pay again, can link CC. But weixin refuse to send sms to complete verification. You one shot use passport & local mobile get success?

 

[froztheart]

Do you need to enable CC overseas payment for it to work on Ali?

Once CC is linked to Ali, there is no further need for request for SMS authentication for payment?

Tried set wechat pay again, can link CC. But weixin refuse to send sms to complete verification. You one shot use passport & local mobile get success?

Yes, likely have to activate overseas/online payment so that it will not be blocked.
There shouldn't be unless requested by the bank, if required just verify using your bank app. You should have data to access your bank app when in China too isn't it?

Sometimes, Wechat's server might be busy/your device/bank network issue so try again later.
Yes, IIRC I was able to back then in 2023 IIRC.

 

[mojipei]

I linked both Trust debit & youtrip.
Break up into multiple payments, the merchants are ok with it. Only once i bought a set dinner, staff unable to break the payment, the fee came to about SGD 1.20, don't fret too much about it.

Anyone tried linking to a Unionpay credit/debit card? I heard that because Unionpay is a china card, there will be no 3% handling fees on large transactions.

 

[jywy2005]

Anyone tried linking to a Unionpay credit/debit card? I heard that because Unionpay is a china card, there will be no 3% handling fees on large transactions.

Yes, I have iCBC sg debit/Credit card. I manage to link to Alipay/Wechat pay. You need to download UnionPay app and link the card. Good thing the transactions are debited using my sg ICBC dual currency chinese yuan account via cc card. Not sure whether they have 3% handling fees as my transactions are small.

The FX rates at ICBC are pretty good. So I usually top up a fair amount before my trip.