What should travelers know about Cash in China?

Use QR wallets for most small purchases and daily transport use cases. Keep a small amount of cash as a backup (especially for edge cases or small fees). If you do use cash, be ready for slower checkout flows.

What do people use instead of Cash in China?

Common alternatives include Alipay, WeChat Pay.

Cash in China: what to expect

Cash exists, but many everyday payments in China are optimized for QR scanning rather than handing over notes.

What People Use in China

Alipay

A major QR wallet used widely for everyday payments, services, and in-app mini services.

WeChat Pay

A major QR payment method tightly integrated into WeChat and widely used for everyday spending.

Traveler Tips

✓Use QR wallets for most small purchases and daily transport use cases.
✓Keep a small amount of cash as a backup (especially for edge cases or small fees).
✓If you do use cash, be ready for slower checkout flows.

Things to Watch Out For

⚠Some merchants may not have much change available.
⚠Your experience can vary by city, store type, and time of day.

Visa Mastercard Alipay WeChat Pay

What People Use in China

Traveler Tips

Things to Watch Out For

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