Set up before you fly.
Choose a payment method before you land, then keep one backup. Each guide compares the real trade-offs and links to the exact error pages.
Open the 3-step toolAlipay or WeChat Pay? Set up Alipay first.
Set up Alipay first if you carry a foreign Visa or Mastercard.
Your foreign credit card works. The question is where.
Bind your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay before you land.
Cash still works. Here is how to get it.
Carry a few hundred RMB as a backup, not as your main method.
Prepaid cards sound simple. Check the details first.
Most visitors do better with Alipay bound to their own card.
UnionPay is the local rail. That changes where your card works.
Use a UnionPay card issued abroad for small shops and local terminals.