Published · 2026-07-30
WeChat Pay, Alipay and the Guangzhou Metro: A Practical First-Day Guide
Why you should set this up before you fly
In Guangzhou, almost everyone pays by scanning a QR code — street food stalls, supermarkets, hospitals, taxis, even a bottle of water from a corner shop. Foreign Visa and Mastercard can now be linked directly to both WeChat Pay and Alipay with no Chinese bank account needed. But the passport verification step requires a stable internet connection and a clear photo — much easier to do at home than standing in an airport queue with patchy Wi-Fi.
- QR-code payment covers virtually everything in daily life — meals, shopping, transport, hospital registration, even ordering water from a vending machine
- Cash is legal tender, but small vendors often do not keep change and some cashiers will need to search for it — mobile payment is expected
- Apple Pay and Google Pay are rarely accepted in mainland China — do not rely on them
- Set up BOTH WeChat Pay and Alipay. They each work at most places, but occasionally one will fail where the other works — having both means you are never stuck
Setting up WeChat Pay — step by step
WeChat (微信, Weixin) is China's everything-app — messaging, social media, payments and mini-programs all in one. You will almost certainly need it to communicate with services in China. Setting up payments takes about 15 minutes.
- Step 1 — Download and register: get WeChat from the App Store or Google Play. Register with your home phone number — foreign numbers work fine. If you already have a WeChat account, make sure your app is updated to the latest version
- Step 2 — Find Wallet: go to Me → Services → Wallet. If you do not see 'Services', go to Me → General → Tools → Weixin Pay → Enable first, then verify your identity with your passport details and a photo of your passport
- Step 3 — Add your card: tap Cards → Add a Card. Enter your Visa or Mastercard number, expiry date and CVV. The system will auto-detect the card type. Set a 6-digit payment password when prompted — remember this, you will use it to confirm payments
- Step 4 — Identity verification: WeChat will ask you to upload a photo of your passport information page and complete a face scan. Use good natural light, lay your passport flat on a clean surface, and make sure the MRZ strip (the two lines of machine-readable text at the bottom of the photo page) is fully visible with no glare or shadows. The name on your card must match your passport exactly — even a small formatting difference can cause verification to fail
- Step 5 — Confirmed: once verified, you will see your card listed under 'Cards'. You are ready to pay. At a shop, tap the green 'Pay' button to show your QR code for the cashier to scan, or tap the '+' icon and select 'Scan' to scan the merchant's QR code
- Transaction limits for foreign cards: single transaction up to 6,500 CNY, monthly up to 50,000 CNY, annual up to 60,000–65,000 CNY. For most travel spending this is more than enough
- Fees: transactions of 200 CNY or below have no fee. Transactions above 200 CNY incur a 3% fee. New users get the 3% fee waived on up to 1,000 CNY of transactions per day for the first 60 days after linking their first card
Setting up Alipay — step by step
Alipay (支付宝) is the other major payment app. Many travellers find Alipay's foreign-card verification faster and more reliable than WeChat's. It also has a better-integrated transport QR code for metro and bus. Run both apps.
- Step 1 — Download: get Alipay from the App Store or Google Play. Make sure it is the standard 'Alipay' app, not 'Alipay HK' or another regional variant
- Step 2 — Register: sign up with your home phone number. Receive the SMS code and set a password
- Step 3 — Identity verification: Alipay will prompt you to verify as a foreigner. Select 'Passport', upload a clear photo of your passport information page, then take a short selfie video where you blink or turn your head. Approval is usually automatic and takes under 5 minutes. If automated verification fails, the in-app English customer service can do a manual review within 24 hours
- Step 4 — Add your card: go to Me → Bank Cards → Add Card. Enter your Visa or Mastercard details and billing address. A small verification charge may appear and then be refunded. Do NOT use a prepaid virtual card (Revolut, Wise virtual numbers etc.) — these are frequently rejected. Use a standard physical credit or debit card
- Step 5 — Paying: tap the blue 'Pay' button to show your QR code (cashier scans you), or tap 'Scan' to scan a merchant's QR code (you scan them). For most small purchases — meals, convenience stores, metro tickets — tap, confirm with your password or biometrics, done
- Cards supported: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and Discover work most reliably. JCB and American Express have more mixed results — if you have a choice, bring a Visa or Mastercard as your primary card
- Spending limits for foreign cards: around 3,000 CNY per transaction, 50,000 CNY per month and 60,000 CNY per year — far beyond what you would spend in a typical day
How paying actually works — two patterns to know
The physical rhythm of paying in China is different from tapping a contactless card or handing over cash. Once you understand the two patterns below, you will feel comfortable anywhere. But there are a few traps to watch for.
- Pattern A — You scan theirs (most common at small shops and restaurants): the merchant shows a QR code on a printed card, a screen or a stand. Open WeChat or Alipay, tap 'Scan', point your camera at their code, enter the amount if prompted, and confirm with your password. Check the amount before you confirm
- Pattern B — They scan yours (common at supermarkets, chains and hospital counters): tap 'Pay' (green in WeChat, blue in Alipay) to show your barcode and QR code. The cashier scans it with a handheld scanner. The amount appears on your screen — check it, then confirm. For small amounts the payment may auto-complete without confirmation
- Warning — personal vs merchant QR codes: your foreign-linked card only works on merchant QR codes (the ones printed on stands or displayed at a till). If someone shows you a QR code from their own phone, that is a personal transfer code — your foreign card will be rejected because you have no RMB balance. If a payment fails silently, this is often why
- Warning — VPN interference: if a payment fails, turn off your VPN and try again. WeChat and Alipay sometimes block transactions when your IP location does not match where you physically are
- Tipping: there is no tipping culture in mainland China. Restaurants and services do not expect it and the payment screen will not prompt you for a tip. Just pay the exact amount
Guangzhou Metro — the essentials
The Guangzhou Metro is clean, air-conditioned, signposted in both Chinese and English, and covers the entire city. It is the fastest and cheapest way to get around. The network has 19 lines and more than 300 stations, so it goes everywhere you are likely to need. Wondering where to eat near a station? Our Guangzhou food map covers four food areas, each reachable by metro, with one-tap Google Maps navigation.
- Operating hours: roughly 6:00 to 23:00, with the last train departing between 22:45 and just past midnight depending on the line and direction. Check your return trip time if you are out late
- Fares: the first 4 km costs 2 CNY. After that, the fare goes up by 1 CNY for each additional 4–8 km depending on distance. A typical ride within the city centre costs 2–6 CNY. The maximum single fare is 20 CNY. The APM line (a short driverless shuttle through Zhujiang New Town) is a flat 2 CNY regardless of distance
- 1-day pass: 20 CNY, unlimited rides for 24 hours from first entry. 3-day pass: 50 CNY for 72 hours. Both can be kept as souvenirs — they are not recycled after use. Buy them at station service counters if vending machines are sold out
- Key lines: Line 3 connects Baiyun Airport to the city centre and Zhujiang New Town (about 40 minutes). Line 18 serves the CBD at Xiancun station. Line 5 runs east–west through Zhujiang New Town. The APM line is useful for short hops between hotels, restaurants and the Canton Tower area
- Station navigation: all signs and announcements are bilingual. The display above each train door shows the next station in both Chinese and English. Platform screen doors have route maps with the current line highlighted
- Peak hours: weekday mornings 7:30–9:30 and evenings 17:30–19:30. Trains on lines 1, 2, 3 and 5 can be packed. If you have a hospital appointment in the morning, travel before 7:30 or take a Didi taxi instead. Outside peak hours, stations and trains are much quieter
Four ways to pay for the metro
You have more options than you might expect. Pick whichever works best for your situation — they are all straightforward once you know the steps.
- Option 1 — Tap your foreign bank card (easiest): since October 2025, Guangzhou Metro supports tap-to-ride with Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards at designated gates. Look for the card logo stickers on the gate. Tap when entering and again when exiting. The fare is charged directly to your card. This is the simplest method if your card has contactless functionality
- Option 2 — Alipay transport QR code: open Alipay, tap the 'Transport' tab, select Guangzhou from the city dropdown, and tap 'Get now' to activate your metro QR code. Scan it at the gate when entering and again when exiting. The fare auto-deducts from your linked card. Set this up before you arrive at the station — it saves time. You may need to activate separate codes for metro and bus
- Option 3 — WeChat ride code: in WeChat, go to Me → Services → Wallet → scroll to 'Travel & Transportation' and find 'Ride Code', or search for '乘车码' (chengchema) in mini-programs. Select Guangzhou Metro and activate. Works the same way — scan in, scan out, auto-deduct
- Option 4 — Single-journey ticket from a machine (reliable fallback): every station has ticket vending machines with an English-language option. Tap the Union Jack flag icon, select your destination station, choose the number of tickets, and pay. The machines accept 5, 10 and 20 CNY notes and give change in coins. Mobile payment at the machine is also supported. Take your ticket token (a small plastic coin), tap it on the gate to enter, and insert it into the gate slot to exit — the machine will collect it
What to expect inside a metro station
Chinese metro stations follow a consistent routine. Once you have done it once, it will feel familiar everywhere. Here is the flow and a few unwritten rules.
- Security check at every entrance: put your bag on the X-ray belt and walk through the metal detector. This takes about 10 seconds and happens at every station. Water bottles are allowed but must be taken out and scanned separately. Eating and drinking on the train is not allowed
- Enter through the right gate: gates have arrows — green arrows mean 'enter here', red crosses mean 'exit only'. Tap your card, scan your QR code or tap your ticket token on the reader. Walk through promptly — the gate closes quickly
- On the platform: stand behind the yellow safety line. Let passengers exit before you board. Red seats inside the train are priority seats for elderly, pregnant or disabled passengers
- Escalators: stand on the right, walk on the left. This is observed city-wide and locals will remind you if you block the left side
- Exits matter: stations can have 6–10 exits labelled A through J. Choosing the wrong exit can add 15 minutes of walking above ground. Check the exit map near the gates or use a map app to see which exit you need before you surface
What if something goes wrong?
Technology fails, phones run out of battery, verification gets rejected. Have a backup plan for your first day so one hiccup does not ruin your schedule.
- Carry RMB cash — withdraw 500–1,000 CNY at an airport ATM when you arrive. ATMs at Baiyun Airport accept foreign Visa and Mastercard. This covers a taxi, a meal and metro tickets if both apps are not working yet
- If WeChat verification fails: try Alipay. Verifications are managed by different systems, and Alipay's passport check is usually faster and more forgiving. If both fail, contact in-app English customer support — manual review is often completed within a few hours
- If a payment QR code is rejected: switch apps. A noodle shop that rejects WeChat might accept Alipay immediately. If both fail, pay cash — this is why you carry some
- Phone battery: your phone is your wallet. Carry a power bank. A dead phone means you cannot pay or navigate
- Didi as a metro fallback: if the metro feels overwhelming on your first day, use Didi (accessible through the Alipay app — look for the 'Didi' or 'Ride' icon). A trip within Zhujiang New Town costs 20–40 CNY. Didi accepts international cards linked through Alipay and has an English interface
- If you are heading to a hospital appointment with Canton Medical: your coordinator will arrange transport or meet you at a pre-agreed location, so you do not need to navigate alone on appointment day — our health screening preparation guide tells you what to expect at the hospital
