An independent guide to paying in China
This site exists for one moment: a visitor is standing at a counter, the payment failed, and the English instructions do not match the screen. Every page is built to end that moment in three steps.
What this site is
- A troubleshooting tool
Thirty error pages, each with the screen text people actually see, three ordered steps, and a cash fallback.
- Six place guides
Convenience stores, restaurants, taxis, stations, attractions, and pharmacies — including phrases you can show a cashier.
- Five setup guides
Alipay vs WeChat Pay, foreign credit cards, cash and ATMs, prepaid cards, and UnionPay.
How each rule is checked
- Official sources only
App help centers, WeChat Pay official pages, UnionPay International, Visa and Mastercard, issuing-bank help pages, and Chinese central bank or State Council notices.
- Forums are leads, not evidence
A forum post can tell us which error message to look for. It cannot establish a fee, a limit, or a rule.
- Every page carries a date
The “Updated” tag is the last check date. Pages with unconfirmed figures say so on the page instead of hiding it.
- Corrections are logged
Changes appear on the changelog.
Independence and funding
We are not affiliated with Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, or any card network, and we do not use their logos or brand colors. The site is funded by two things: affiliate commissions on some outbound travel and connectivity links, and a paid 15-minute help session. Affiliate revenue never decides which method is recommended.
Found something wrong?
Send the exact screen text through the report form. A screenshot and the app version help most. Reports are checked against an official source before a page is changed.
General contact: hello@payfixchina.com. Privacy questions: see the privacy policy.