How to register with Alipay as a foreigner in China?

Most expats in China find that it’s essential to have an Alipay account to pay for almost everything whilst in China. This article will help you with a step-by-step guide on how to register an Alipay account. The Alipay App in mainland China is designed in simplified Chinese language, but it now allows users to set the language preference to English.

If you’ve worked in China for some time you may find it very useful to know that there’s now an efficient money transfer tool to help you send money back home from China!

Wise, founded in 2011 now has 16 million happy global users and could help you do this! Wise is available in China now! The Wise English App enables foreigners in China to manage, transfer and convert RMB and also transfer it in alternative currencies. Wise handles international money transfers using a mid-market exchange rate.

You can transfer money internationally to 160+ countries and hold 40+ currencies with a multi-currency Wise account.

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Table of contents
Is Alipay available in English language? How to switch Alipay language to English step guide? How to register a mainland Alipay account in China as a foreigner? How to add a bank card to your Alipay account? Can I register Alipay without a Chinese bank card? Can I top up my Alipay account using international debit cards? Expat in China? Use Wise to send earnings back home!

Is Alipay available in English language?

Yes. Even though Alipay was created with Chinese citizens and businesses in mind, it now allows international users to set its system language to English. The other language options are traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese.

How to switch Alipay language to English step guide?

1. Open the Alipay app
2. On the home page, find the “Me” button at the far bottom right corner and click.
3. Find the cog or gear-looking icon (settings) at top right corner and click the icon
4. Now you arrive at the settings menu; look for “General” and click
5. Now you arrive at the general setting menu, click “Language”
6. Choose “English” and then click “save”
7. It takes 1-2 seconds to refresh the app itself and voila, job done！

How to register a mainland Alipay account in China as a foreigner?

Requirements for getting an Alipay account:

Foreigners in China can create an Alipay account using (1) a phone number or an email address. In future identity verification steps, you can use (2) Your passport or ID document to get approved.

Here is the China mainland version Alipay registration guide: ¹⁺²

1. Go to Alipay.com: this is the address for mainland China Alipay, make sure you are on the right page, Not Alipay global, And not HK Alipay.
2. Select Personal or Business account
3. Select register methods; you can choose either:
   1. Scan QR Code and download the Alipay app to register on a mobile phone
   2. Register directly on a PC
4. Accept Alipay’s privacy terms and user policy
5. Select your region: if you have Chinese residency in this case, you can choose “China mainland”. If you don’t have Chinese residency yet, you can choose international regions; whichever suits you. Such as Malaysia, Singapore, USA, etc.
   
   
6. Fill in your phone number: Mainland Chinese phone default region code is +86. What if you haven’t got a Chinese phone number yet? You can still register with your current phone number, and then you can switch your Alipay phone number to a Chinese one later once you have one.
7. Verify your phone number via SMS code.
8. Now you have created an Alipay account! (But you can’t use any function until you add a payment method to your Alipay account!)
9. Keep reading, because we’ll show you how to add a bank card to your Alipay account!

At this stage, you just have an account, but you can’t use any payment function or receive money until you connect a bank card or add a payment method to your account.

For expats in China, you might wonder if you should use your Chinese phone number or your native country's phone number. To enjoy Alipay’s products and features, linking your Chinese phone number is better. First of all, it’s easier for your Alipay account to get verified, and linking a mainland Chinese bank-issued debit card to top up your account will also streamline your Alipay service in the future.

How to add a bank card to your Alipay account?

1. Open Alipay App
2. Then click ”Me” at far bottom right corner
3. Choose “Bank cards”
4. Click “+” at the top right
5. Click “Scan” to instantly extract your card information and auto-fill the card number.
6. You need to fill in your Bank card account name and the ID you used to open your bank card, for expats in China. If you use your passport to open this bank card, then you just need to fill in your passport info here.
7. Fill in the number that you linked with your bank card, because Alipay will send a verification SMS to your phone to verify your ownership of this bank card. Enter your phone verification code
8. The next step is to set up your password, note that this password is what you’ll need to input every time you pay with Alipay.
9. Now you are good to go!

Relevant articles to read:

• Alipay in Malaysia: Sign up and how to use
• WeChat and Alipay: Top-up guide, which is better for me?
• How to use Alipay as a foreigner (Both in & outside China)

Can I register Alipay without a Chinese bank card?

Yes. But not recommended. You can link a non-Chinese mainland bank card, but according to Alipay service policies: Bank cards issued outside China’s mainland currently do not support personal transfers, red packets, insurance, and other financial services.

Wondering what functionsAlipay supports if you link your overseas bank card to Alipay? Currently, it supports daily expenses such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation (such as in-store payments and ele.me)³

Can I top up my Alipay account using international debit cards?

No. At the moment users can only use mainland Chinese debit cards to top up their Alipay account.

Adding a bank card to Alipay is different from topping up your account balance. When adding or linking bank cards to Alipay, Alipay supports international credit cards issued outside of the Chinese mainland, such as Visa, Master, Diners, and Discover, and these cards are limited to certain Alipay services; Please see the above paragraph. When topping up your account balance, the only bank cards Alipay supports currently are mainland Chinese debit cards.

Expat in China? Use Wise to send earnings back home!

Founded in 2011, Wise is a reliable and secure international money transfer provider.It can transfer money to 70+ countries at a mid-market rate, much cheaper than most banks. This way we save you money when sending money home. Using the Wise App you can transfer money easily by yourself at home, no need to get a ticket and wait in a Chinese bank lobby. Wise also has a high level of English international service compared to local banks.

There are other benefits of having a Wise account. Open Wise account, and you can have account details like Pounds, Euros, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars etc. This allows you to receive those local currencies thus avoiding the cost of currency conversion. Learn more about Wise function in China: available features and benefits.

*Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

*This service is provided in partnership with a licensed third party payment provider in China.

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Source：

1. Alipay: register page
2. Youtube: Alipay registration guide Singapore
3. ITI-Beijing: Can you add an international card to Alipay?