Alipay for Foreigners: Step-by-Step Setup and Error Fixes

The short version

You can use Alipay in China as a foreign tourist. You do not need a Chinese bank account, a Chinese phone number or a Chinese ID card.

Set it up at home, at least a few days before you fly:

1. Install the Alipay app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Sign up with your home mobile number.
3. Link an international card, ideally a physical Visa or Mastercard credit card.
4. Verify your identity with your passport when the app asks.
5. Set a six-digit payment password and turn on Face ID or fingerprint.
6. Tell your bank you will be paying in China, then keep a second card and some RMB cash as backup.

In China you then pay in one of two ways: scan the merchant’s QR code, or show your own payment code for the cashier to scan. Your card is charged in your home currency.

This guide covers each step, the limits and fees, and what to do when a card will not link or a payment fails. For the WeChat Pay setup, see WeChat Pay for foreigners, and to choose between them, Alipay vs WeChat Pay.

What you need before you start

The number one reason setups fail in China is a login code sent to a home number the traveler can no longer receive. Before you fly, make sure your home number can still receive SMS codes abroad.

Step 1: Download the right app

Download Alipay (listed in the US App Store as “Alipay - Simplify Your Life” by Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology, with a blue icon) from your usual app store. It is the same app Chinese users have. Once it detects a non-Chinese number, it switches to English and shows options for international visitors.

Do not install AlipayHK by mistake. That is a separate wallet for Hong Kong residents and needs a Hong Kong identity.

If your home country has a wallet that works with Alipay+, you may be able to pay at many Alipay merchants in China with that wallet instead. Alipay’s own list of accepted wallets changes, so check your wallet’s travel page. For most travelers from Europe, North America and Australia, the main Alipay app is the simplest choice.

Step 2: Sign up with your home mobile number

1. Open Alipay and tap Sign up.
2. Choose your country code and enter your mobile number exactly as your phone receives texts.
3. Enter the text message code.
4. Accept the terms after reading them.

If the code does not arrive, check that the number is right, wait a minute and request a new code. Do not tap resend again and again, because repeated requests can trigger a temporary block. Some virtual phone numbers are rejected, so use a real carrier number.

Step 3: Link your international card

1. On the home screen, tap Add card (it may appear under Account or Bank cards).
2. Enter the card number, expiry date and security code.
3. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the card, plus any billing details requested.
4. Complete the check from your bank: a 3-D Secure code, a push notice in your bank app, or a text message.

Alipay accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, Diners Club International and UnionPay International cards.

Which card should you use? A physical credit card with no foreign transaction fee is the best first choice. Debit cards often work but are refused more often. Prepaid, gift, virtual and some fintech cards are the most likely to be declined. Bring a second card from a different bank and network in case the first one is blocked. For where foreign cards work without a wallet, see Can I use my credit card in China?

Step 4: Verify your identity

Alipay may ask you to verify your identity straight away or only once your spending passes a set amount. Chinese regulators allow small mobile payments by foreign visitors without ID details, but you should expect a passport check before larger payments.

The check usually asks for:

• A photo or scan of your passport photo page
• Your name, nationality, passport number and expiry date
• Sometimes a face scan

Do it before you travel. It can take from a few minutes to a few days to be approved. You do not want to learn about it at a restaurant counter. If your passport changes, update your identity details before you use the account again.

Step 5: Set your password and language

• Payment password: a six-digit PIN used to confirm payments. Do not use your birthday or the same PIN as your bank card.
• Face ID or fingerprint: faster at checkouts. Turn it on under the security or payment settings.
• Language: Alipay supports English and several other languages. If some screens still show Chinese, check the language setting under Settings. Mini-programs made by other companies may not be translated.

Step 6: Test it before you rely on it

You cannot easily make a real payment to a Chinese shop from abroad. Before you fly, the best signs that everything works are:

• The card shows as linked with no warning
• Your identity status shows as verified
• Your bank app shows the small check charge approved (if the bank shows one)

Make your first real payment small, for example a convenience store drink or a metro ride. Do that while you still have cash in your pocket.

How to pay in a shop

Option 1: Show your code (merchant scans you). Tap Pay to show a barcode and QR code. The cashier scans it and the payment goes through, sometimes after you enter your PIN. This is the usual method in supermarkets, chain stores, restaurants and hotels.

Option 2: Scan their code (you scan the merchant). Tap Scan, point it at the printed QR code on the counter, type the amount in RMB, check the merchant name and confirm. This is common at small stalls, markets and taxis. Show the cashier the success screen.

Alipay Tap! Some shops have a small tap device at the checkout. You unlock your phone and hold it against the device. It works like the payment code but is faster.

Always check the amount and the name of who you are paying before you confirm. A printed QR code can be covered with a fake sticker. If a code looks tampered with, pay by showing your own code instead.

What else you can do with Alipay

Inside the app, mini-programs from other companies let you:

• Call a taxi or ride-hail car, with the fare paid automatically at the end of the trip
• Ride the metro and buses with a transit QR code in many cities. Support for foreign-card users varies by city, so buy a ticket at the machine if the code will not open.
• Book hotels, flights and train tickets, and buy some attraction tickets
• Order food and pay at restaurants that use table QR codes (see How to order food in China)
• Rent power banks and bikes in many cities

Some services still ask for a Chinese phone number or Chinese ID. When one does, use the international version of that company’s own app, or an English booking platform, instead.

Limits and fees

The per-payment and yearly limits come from China’s central bank measures for overseas visitors, announced in 2024. Alipay can set lower limits for a new or unverified account.

Fees change. Before you tap confirm, read the fee line on the payment screen. To keep your bank’s fees low, use a card with no foreign transaction fee, and choose to be charged in RMB if you are ever given the choice.

When your card will not link: causes and fixes

If you are still stuck, use Help or Customer service in the Alipay app. Inside China, Alipay’s customer service number is 95188. Tell them you are an international user with a foreign card, and have your passport ready.

When a payment fails at the counter

1. Read the error message. “Risk control”, “payment unsuccessful” and “card declined” point to different fixes.
2. Try the other method. If scanning the merchant’s code fails, show your own code, and the other way round.
3. Switch cards. Choose another linked card in the payment method list before you confirm.
4. Check the connection. Weak mobile data is a common silent cause. Move to where signal is better or join Wi-Fi.
5. Pay another way. Use a physical card or cash. That is why you carry a backup.

Some small vendors use personal collection codes rather than business accounts, and these accept foreign-card payments less reliably. Keep small RMB notes for street food and markets.

For every error message and fix, including double charges, see payment failed in China.

Alipay error messages and how to fix each one

These are the messages foreign visitors report most often, in the order you are likely to meet them: sign-up, identity check, testing at home, then paying in China. The exact English wording can vary between app versions. Checked on 3 October 2026.

One rule for every error: do not keep tapping retry. Repeated attempts are the most common reason a small problem turns into a 24-hour lock.

“Your actions are being performed too frequently”

When you see it: at sign-up or login, sometimes on the very first try.

What it means: Alipay’s security system has paused sign-up or login from your phone number, device or network. Common triggers are several code requests in a row, a VPN or proxy, a shared Wi-Fi network used by many people, or a recently reinstalled app.

Fix:

1. Stop for at least 24 hours. Every new attempt can restart the timer.
2. Turn off any VPN and use your mobile data, not hotel, office or café Wi-Fi.
3. Update the app from your official app store. Do not install copies from other websites.
4. Make sure your number is a real carrier number. Virtual and some prepaid numbers are refused.
5. If it still fails after a day or two, open Help in the app, tell the chatbot its answer did not help, and ask for a human agent.

There is no guaranteed fix. If you fly soon, set up WeChat Pay or Tencent’s new TenPayGo app as your main wallet while you wait, and keep trying Alipay every few days.

“Reading failed: Your passport information wasn’t recognized”

When you see it: during identity verification or an account appeal, when Alipay asks you to scan the chip in your passport with your phone’s NFC reader.

Fix:

1. Take the phone out of its case and move bank cards, phone wallets and magnets away.
2. On Android, switch on NFC in your phone’s settings.
3. Open your passport at the page with the chip. In many passports it sits in the photo page or the back cover. Lay the top of an iPhone, or the middle of the back of an Android phone, flat on it.
4. Hold completely still for 10 to 15 seconds. Moving the phone breaks the read.
5. If it keeps failing, look for an option to upload a photo of your passport instead.

Some travelers find the NFC step never works with their passport. If the app offers no other option, ask the help center for a human agent. Travelers report that agents verified them with a passport photo and a face scan.

“Account restricted” and the appeal loop

When you see it: usually right after sign-up or a first test payment, or after several failed card attempts. Logins from a new phone, details that do not match your passport, and payments that look like transfers can also trigger it.

What makes it a loop: the appeal asks for a check you cannot complete, such as the NFC scan above or an SMS code to a number you cannot receive.

Fix:

1. Open the message and follow the steps it lists. These are often a passport check, a face scan or a text code.
2. If one step is impossible, go to Help, say the automatic answer did not help and ask for a human agent. Explain that you are a foreign visitor with an international card, and have your passport ready.
3. Do not open a second account with the same passport or number. Duplicate accounts make the review harder.
4. Allow one to a few days for the review. This is the main reason to set up Alipay at least a week before you fly.

“Overseas payments are only available to Chinese users” (when testing at home)

When you see it: before your trip, when you tap Pay or try to test the app outside China.

What it means: some payment features only work inside mainland China, or for Chinese accounts. It does not mean your account is broken. Many travelers see this pop-up at home and then pay without problems in China.

What to check instead: your card shows as linked with no warning, your identity shows as verified, and you can open your payment code. If all three are true, you are ready. Make your first real payment a small one in China, while you still have cash.

Messages that mention “risk” when you add a card or pay

When you see it: a card is refused “due to a detected risk”, or a payment fails with a message about risk control.

What it means: either Alipay’s own risk check or your bank’s fraud system stopped it. First payments from a new account, large amounts and payments late at night are the usual triggers.

Fix:

1. Check your bank app for a fraud alert and approve it.
2. Wait 30 minutes before trying again. Do not try several cards back to back.
3. Try a smaller amount, or show your payment code instead of scanning the shop’s code.
4. Make sure your identity verification is complete, because unverified accounts are checked more strictly.

“Exceeds limit” or a large payment that fails

What it means: the payment is over your single-payment limit, your daily limit as a new account, or a daily limit set by your bank.

Fix: finish passport verification to raise your limits, split the payment, or pay by physical card. Hotel deposits and expensive dinners are the usual cases. See limits and fees above.

The payment fails at one small shop only

What it means: the vendor’s QR code is a personal collection code. These accept payments funded by foreign cards less reliably than business codes. Nothing is wrong with your account.

Fix: ask the vendor to scan your payment code, or pay cash. See payment failed in China for the full counter checklist.

“SMS code not received”

What it means: the code went to your home number, but your phone cannot receive texts on it right now.

Fix: switch on roaming for your home SIM, even if you use a travel eSIM for data. Wait a minute before requesting a new code, because repeated requests lead to the “too frequently” block above.

Does it matter that my name on the card has no middle name?

Usually not. Many travelers have cards that show only their first and last name, while their passport includes a middle name, and they set up Alipay without problems. If a card is refused with “Information does not match”, type the name exactly as printed on the card in the card form. Your passport name is used separately, for identity verification.

What foreigners usually cannot do with Alipay

• Top up an Alipay balance without a Chinese bank card
• Send money to friends or send red packets
• Use savings and investment products such as Yu’e Bao
• Receive payments as a seller

To split a bill, have one person pay the merchant and settle up later with your usual home banking apps.

Is Alipay safe for foreigners?

Alipay is one of the two main payment networks in China and is used by hundreds of millions of people every day. The practical risks for visitors are ordinary ones:

• QR code tampering: always check the payee name before you confirm.
• Phone theft: use a strong screen lock, a separate payment PIN and Face ID.
• Fake support calls or messages: Alipay will not ask you for your password or full card number by phone.

You are sharing identity and payment data with a Chinese company. If that concerns you, pay with a physical card and cash where you can. Know that daily life in many places will be less convenient.

Your backup plan

No single payment method works every time. A sensible setup for a China trip is:

• Alipay with one card linked
• WeChat with a card linked, as a second wallet (see WeChat Pay for foreigners)
• A second physical card from a different bank
• Some RMB cash in small notes

Also plan how you will get data on day one so the app can connect. See our China eSIM service. If Alipay still won’t cooperate once you are in China, message your personal travel concierge and we walk you through it.