π³ Payment
How to Set Up Alipay as a Foreigner (2026)
It takes about 15 minutes β here's exactly how.
π― Quick Answer
Download Alipay, register with your international phone number, verify your identity with your passport, and link your foreign Visa/Mastercard. No Chinese bank account or phone number needed. Takes about 15 minutes.
Let me walk you through this. I've done it myself and helped about a dozen friends do the same. It takes about 15 minutes, and you can do the whole thing before you even board your flight.
π± Step 1: Download the App
Go to your app store and search for "Alipay". The developer is "Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd." β that's the real one. There are some fakes out there so double-check.
- iOS: App Store
- Android: Google Play
Your phone needs iOS 12+ or Android 8+. If your phone is more than 5β6 years old, you might run into issues.
π Step 2: Register with Your Phone Number
Open the app and tap "Sign Up." You'll be asked for your phone number. The good news: you can use your own international phone number. Pick your country code from the dropdown (United States is +1, UK is +44, etc.), enter your number, and they'll send you a verification code via SMS.
π Step 3: Verify Your Identity
This is the most important step. Without ID verification, you can't use Alipay for payments.
How it works:
- Go to Account β Identity Verification
- Select "Foreign Passport" as your ID type
- Take a clear photo of your passport photo page
- Take a selfie (they'll compare it to your passport photo)
- Verification typically completes within a few minutes or up to 24 hours
Make sure your passport photo page is well-lit and all text is readable. Blurry photos are the most common reason for verification failures.
π³ Step 4: Link Your Foreign Credit Card
Go to Cards β Add Card. You can link any of the following:
- Visa β Widely accepted
- Mastercard β Widely accepted
Enter your card number, expiry date, and CVV. Alipay typically does a small test charge (Β₯0.01βΒ₯1.00) to verify the card. This charge is refunded automatically.
β You're All Set!
That's it. You can now use Alipay to pay at millions of merchants across China. When you're at a store, open the app, tap "Pay", and scan the merchant's QR code.
For metro and bus travel, you can also set up the transport QR code inside Alipay directly. Need help? Check the full payment overview for more details.