Alipay in China

[quekkb]

Foreigners can open a bank account in China?

What is the process?

Many countries don't allow this if you are not a resident.

Of course you can. This threat is all about opening China bank account. The advantage is you can transfer the money to Alipay and wechat pay wallet and transfer fund between each other.

 

[Bigbird00]

Take a read of the thread please.

Noted

Of course you can. This threat is all about opening China bank account. The advantage is you can transfer the money to Alipay and wechat pay wallet and transfer fund between each other.

Noted thanks

 

[Dohnnyjepp]

Bro. Same thing just happened to me. Did you manage to recover your money? Can drop me a PM

 

[zhiming1]

of course not, and i do not expect to recover too. Already forget abt it

 

[Bigbird00]

I went to ICBC bank at Shamian Island while i was walking around today.

Tried to apply a bank account. But i don't have a local mobile number. To have a China bank account, i would need a Chinese Mobile number permanently i.e i have to maintain the China mobile number throughout. The bank official said the mobile number is tied to bank account.

If mobile terminated, will it affect the bank account? Can't use post paid mobile sim?

​

Can anyone clarify this?

 

[quekkb]

I went to ICBC bank at Shamian Island while i was walking around today.

Tried to apply a bank account. But i don't have a local mobile number. To have a China bank account, i would need a Chinese Mobile number permanently i.e i have to maintain the China mobile number throughout. The bank official said the mobile number is tied to bank account.

If mobile terminated, will it affect the bank account? Can't use post paid mobile sim?

​

Can anyone clarify this?

if you terminate your mobile account, your bank account will not function as you need SMS to login. You can get a CNY 8 per month post plan sim card from China mobile.

 

[boringLife-]

I managed to apply icbc type 2 account using cmlink 1cmn with some hiccups along the way

1) They need proof that the +86 given to you is registered to your name. Nowhere can that be found in cmlink account portal. The method they used to verify is to send "SMZ" to 10086, and when I tried to login into cmlink website and send, it returned an error. In the end I managed to smoke through by downloading 中国移动 app using Vivo (CN) app store and login. Inside there is a page which doesn't show your name but show the +86 number as "verified". Somehow the ICBC staff is willing to take that as proof

2) My account was frozen 3 days later. The reason being they performed a callback to my +86 number which I did not answer. Issue is I did not receive any calls from them at all. I don't know if this is due to cmlink 1CMN being used or error on their end. But failing the callback, my account was froze immediately.

I went to another branch to unfreeze it then come back SG liao. I believe if they call again and I didn't pick up, it will be frozen again. But so far haven't receive any calls.

 

[froztheart]

I managed to apply icbc type 2 account using cmlink 1cmn with some hiccups along the way

1) They need proof that the +86 given to you is registered to your name. Nowhere can that be found in cmlink account portal. The method they used to verify is to send "SMZ" to 10086, and when I tried to login into cmlink website and send, it returned an error. In the end I managed to smoke through by downloading 中国移动 app using Vivo (CN) app store and login. Inside there is a page which doesn't show your name but show the +86 number as "verified". Somehow the ICBC staff is willing to take that as proof

2) My account was frozen 3 days later. The reason being they performed a callback to my +86 number which I did not answer. Issue is I did not receive any calls from them at all. I don't know if this is due to cmlink 1CMN being used or error on their end. But failing the callback, my account was froze immediately.

I went to another branch to unfreeze it then come back SG liao. I believe if they call again and I didn't pick up, it will be frozen again. But so far haven't receive any calls.

Cause IIRC the 1CMN is only for SG use, not for use in CN.
Thus, the recommendation has always to just get a +86 number in China which cost lesser than then 1CMN.

 

[HoGnix]

I used CMlink China number opened China Bank account. And so far with no problem.
I was able to send verification SMS at CMlink Singapore webpage in Singapore. (Just now I logged into webpage, and found the layout of SMS sent page is changed. Previously, only certain China number can be send, now it looks like no such restrictions, may be now need to put +86 in the front to send SMS?)
When in SG, this CMlink CN number can receive call from China for free, and it is integrated to the same SG SIM card. But if it is a China CN number, it will be charged with IDD call if answer Call from China and send SMS to China. And need separate SIM card.
Can login into China mobile APP(mainland China) with CN number. It is nothing to do with SG number, it only tells that Chinamobile has this number.

 

[bertrande]

2) My account was frozen 3 days later. The reason being they performed a callback to my +86 number which I did not answer. Issue is I did not receive any calls from them at all. I don't know if this is due to cmlink 1CMN being used or error on their end. But failing the callback, my account was froze immediately.

I went to another branch to unfreeze it then come back SG liao. I believe if they call again and I didn't pick up, it will be frozen again. But so far haven't receive any calls.

Yes ICBC told me during account opening just need to pop into any branch in China to unfreeze if my account got frozen due to non picking up of the verification call. I was hugging my phone with me for the next one week until they called and also fervently prayed they wouldn’t call on the flight back haha.

 

[boringLife-]

Yes ICBC told me during account opening just need to pop into any branch in China to unfreeze if my account got frozen due to non picking up of the verification call. I was hugging my phone with me for the next one week until they called and also fervently prayed they wouldn’t call on the flight back haha.

How you put rmb inside ah? I use the old uncle method of depositing cash into atm in china. But now i am back in sg..

 

[bertrande]

How you put rmb inside ah? I use the old uncle method of depositing cash into atm in china. But now i am back in sg..

I do that too for non ICBC bank accounts. For ICBC, you can open a local ICBC account and then send SGD over to the mainland China ICBC account FOC. Within the mainland app, you can then proceed to use SGD to buy RMB. The forex rates are good. Go to you ICBC mainland app and see if you are able to 结汇。If so, you won’t need to deposit at an ICBC atm again!

 

[loganrunning]

I do that too for non ICBC bank accounts. For ICBC, you can open a local ICBC account and then send SGD over to the mainland China ICBC account FOC. Within the mainland app, you can then proceed to use SGD to buy RMB. The forex rates are good. Go to you ICBC mainland app and see if you are able to 结汇。If so, you won’t need to deposit at an ICBC atm again!

thanks for the info. very useful.


Does this mean that the CN-domiciled ICBC account is a multi-currency account?

My impression is that the CN-ICBC account is an RMB-only account, so when sending $$$ from SG-ICBC account, you have to convert to RMB before it sends over.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Tks

 

[dexboi]

if u are holding Type II account from ICBC-china, it's RMB only; not a multicurrency account.

That's what ICBC-SG told me. I won't be able to send SGD over to ICBC-china Type II accounts.
It's also not possible to convert SGD to RMB in SG due to regulations.
In singapore you can convert, SGD -> CNH yes, SGD -> RMB no.

 

[boringLife-]

if u are holding Type II account from ICBC-china, it's RMB only; not a multicurrency account.

That's what ICBC-SG told me. I won't be able to send SGD over to ICBC-china Type II accounts.
It's also not possible to convert SGD to RMB in SG due to regulations.
In singapore you can convert, SGD -> CNH yes, SGD -> RMB no.

so only way is deposit rmb physically in china ATM?

 

[bertrande]

so only way is deposit rmb physically in china ATM?

You can also use Wise - have successfully transferred rmb to my mainland ICBC account but exchange rate is so so after fees.

 

[LWZ]

any of you got use 闲鱼 app with an SG number ?

 

[froztheart]

any of you got use 闲鱼 app with an SG number ?

Have you tried using SG number?

 

[LWZ]

Have you tried using SG number?

yes, and it keeps indicating account is flagged as higher risk

I had never used the app before

 

[froztheart]

yes, and it keeps indicating account is flagged as higher risk

I had never used the app before

Probably cause you are using non CN number, if it's usable don't see why its an issue.
闲鱼 is like our Carousell.