For years, WeChat and Alipay have promised to allow people to add foreign credit cards to use mobile payment in China. Considering how much easier it is to purchase goods and services using WeChat in China, this is huge for expats and travelers to China. But does it work? And if not…what other options are there?
For the longest time, it was only possible to connect a Chinese bank card (usually UnionPay) to your WeChat Pay or Alipay account.
For foreigners, this meant opening up a bank account in China, which takes a bit of time and patience, not to mention a long-term residence visa (not a tourist visa). If only WeChat would accept Visa or MasterCard as payment options, life in China would be so much easier!
Back as early as 2018, WeChat announced that they would begin accepting foreign credit cards as an option on their platform. It wasn’t until mid-2023, however, that it actually started to work.
Here’s what you need to know about using WeChat in China, including my thoughts on the wisdom of giving the Chinese government all your financial information (hint: this is key).
- Requirements from WeChat
- How to Add a Credit Card to WeChat
- WARNING: Security Alert
- Alternatives to Using Foreign Credit Cards
Requirements from WeChat
Before you get started adding a credit card to WeChat, it’s helpful to know what requirements there are so you can be ready.
For example, before you jump in with your Visa or Mastercard, consider this:
- You need to download the international version of WeChat on the app store, not the Chinese version.
- You will need to provides official identifications documents to proceed.
- You will need to provide a valid phone number (does not need to be a Chinese number).
Thankfully, downloading the international version of WeChat isn’t too difficult as it’s the only one on the app store that will show up in English, not Chinese.
You see, throughout 2019, many foreigners who had previously had WeChat Pay accounts without a Chinese bank account had been shut down. Now, it seems like that will be changing.
How to Add a Foreign Credit Card to WeChat
The process to add a foreign credit card to WeChat is thankfully easy and pretty straightforward. As I open up WeChat on my phone, the first thing I do is click “Me” on the bottom menu to find my “Wallet”.
From here I can click on the “Cards” menu item. As you can see, I already have a WeChat Wallet activated, so theoretically this should be easier for me to do.
I’ve already added my Bank of Communications card to WeChat, which works very well, I might add.
However, I want to add my foreign credit card. So I’ll go ahead and click “Add a Card” and see what we can do here…
Click on “Add a Card” and you’ll be prompted to input all of the credit card information from your Visa or Mastercard. If you haven’t already provided your authentication documents, you’ll be asked to verify your identity before you can proceed here.
Once you’ve added all your card information, click “Submit” and then you’ll be sent an SMS text with a verification code.
After providing the code, your foreign credit card will now be available to use as a payment method in WeChat. You’re finished!
WARNING: Security Alert
Before you complete all of these steps to add a foreign credit card to WeChat Pay, we need to address a very important question that you should be asking yourself:
Is giving my financial information to WeChat a good idea?
It’s a well-known fact that China’s government has backdoor access to WeChat. That’s just part of life for Chinese people, but for those of us who have a choice…
…do you really want China to have access to all your personal info?
Consider this: when you add your foreign credit card to WeChat, you’re going to have to give WeChat – and by extension the Chinese government – the following information:
- Your Verifiable Identity: They need to know who you are, so you’ll have to verify your identity using your passport, which means they’ll have your real name and ID number.
- Your Phone Number: You’ll have to provide a working phone number using a text verification code to open up a WeChat account. Now your name is attached to a phone number.
- Your Address: Your credit card verification is attached to your address, so you’ll need to give that to them.
- Your Credit Card Information: Finally, you’ll be required to give your credit card information.
Wow…that’s a lot of information that the Chinese government all of the sudden has access to. I don’t know about you, but that’s slightly scary.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it; I mean, it’s certainly going to be a more convenient way to travel to China. But I want you to understand what kind of privacy you’ll be giving up in order to do so.
And if that seems like a bit too much, here are your other options.
Alternatives to Using Foreign Credit Cards with WeChat Pay
So until foreigners are granted the ability to add credit cards to WeChat, what alternatives do we have to pay with WeChat or otherwise? Is cash the only option?
Fortunately, there are a few solutions that I’ve mentioned above but I’ll go into more detail here:
- Open a Chinese Bank Account: The easiest way to add money to WeChat Pay is to connect it to a Chinese bank account. Foreigners with residence permits are legally allowed to open a Chinese bank account and it usually only takes 1-2 hours to get it done. They’ll issue you a bank card immediately and you can add that card to WeChat.
- Use a Global Payment Solution (U.S. residents only): I’ve recently started using a new global payment solution known as ECARD (they’ve unfortunately stopped new applications for the time being, FYI). It’s a UnionPay-branded card that gives me the ability to use any ATM in China and pay for things anywhere cards are accepted (which is better than Visa/MasterCard). I load the card with my U.S. bank account (it’s pre-paid) and although I can’t use it with WeChat, it works for pretty much everything else in China.
- Peer-to-Peer Exchange: Of course, since many travelers don’t have friends in China to send them money, you’ll need to find another way to get money onto WeChat. That’s where something like a peer-to-peer exchange service can help. These services connect you with somebody who wants US dollars so that you pay them $100 via Paypal or bank transfer. They in turn pay you the equivalent RMB to your WeChat account. Unfortunately, this only works if you already have your WeChat Wallet activated.
- Cash: Finally, it’s perfectly acceptable to still use cash in China. It’s not exactly easy, but it’s possible. Many Chinese ATMs accept foreign debit cards and will spit out Chinese Renminbi for you to use.
Conclusion | Foreign Credit Cards on WeChat Pay
As long as you’re aware of the risks of providing all of this financial and personal data to WeChat – and therefore to the Chinese government – it’s extremely convenient to add your foreign credit card on WeChat Pay.
As travelers or expats, using WeChat is convenient but not absolutely necessary. Don’t be afraid to get cash from a Chinese ATM.
And if you absolutely must add money to your WeChat Pay account, you can do so using the alternate methods mentioned above.
