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Essential Apps and tools

  1. Access: Sims & VPNs
  2. Payments: Alipay & WeChat
  3. Navigation: A-map & Baidu
  4. Transportation: Didi, Trip, Railway12306, & Alipay 
  5. Accommodations: Trip.com

Extras

  1. Food Delivery: Meituan takeout
  2. Coupons: Meituan
  3. Luggage forwarding and delivery: Jindong
  4. Ride-sharing: Shunfengche


Etiquette and observatons

  1. Dining
  2. Noise Levels
Access

Sims and E-sims

While it’s probably possible to travel in China without a phone number, things will be a lot easier with one. There are a myriad of options out there, but due to limited English abilities in even major cities, airport kiosks might be a good option as an efficient option. 

I use China Mobile and its prices are reasonable; there are many locations across China and a very simple English version of the app to track usage or top up. 

I’d still recommend having an E-sim upon arrival as a backup. MobiMatter has much more competitive packages and prices compared to the very popular Airalo.


VPNs

Having a VPN is essential in China. I use LetsVPN across two devices and have had minimal issues; you can also check Reddit for the latest on what everyone is using.
  • Payments
China’s “super apps” provide access to almost anything you can imagine via their embedded mini-apps. WeChat and Alipay are the most essential, especially when it comes to payments. I prefer Alipay, as do many foreigners, but I’d recommend linking a card to WeChat as well—it’s much more ubiquitous among locals, and I’ve found that some vendors only accept WeChat payments. 

Alipay (支付宝)

English version available
Linking a card

  1. Download the Alipay app and register for an account. You don’t need a phone number for this; an email will suffice.

  2. Go to “account” → bank cards”, and follow the prompts to link a bank card. You might need to do additional security steps from your card’s end.

  3. You can now use your linked card on Alipay.
You’ll need to verify your identity via one of these methods when registering. An ID is not necessary to link a card, but you might eventually need to to, in order access other features.
A straightforward bank card flow.

Using Alipay for payments

At physical checkouts, larger vendors will usually scan your personal QR code via the “pay/receive” method. Smaller vendors, like non-chain convenience stores, may require you to scan their QR code and manually enter the payment amount.


When checking out online, (like QR ordering while dining in or ordering takeout), you’ll automatically be redirected to an Alipay payment page and enter the passcode you’ve set up. 
Both options are available right at the top of the Alipay homepage.
Payment Settings 

Under “account”, you can access “payment settings” and set up a few customizable settings. “payment priority” might be useful if you’re linking multiple cards and have preferences on which one to use as a default. 
Other useful tips

Under “settings”→”general”, you will find the translation tool. I would recommend turning this on, since many “mini-apps” don’t have translations. 

For example, if you want to order from Heytea within Alipay, what might be a difficult task without Chinese knowledge is now more manageable (the UX suffers but let’s ignore that).

Alipay and WeChat have almost identical mini app availabilities. I’d recommend using Alipay simply because of the translations feature. 
The translation tool is similar to AssistiveTouch and sticks to screen wherever you are in the app.
For example, if you wanted to order a drink from Heytea ahead of time at a shopping mall, you can now translate the mini app. 

WeChat (微信)

English version available
Linking a card

  1. Download the WeChat app and register an account. You do need a phone number (can be an international one). The registration process is lengthier, so leave some time to set it up.

  2. Go to “me” → “pay and services”→”wallet”→”bank cards”, and you can link a bank card. You might need to do additional security steps on your bank card’s end and additional forms of identity verification (e.g. passport info).

  3. You can now use your linked card on WeChat. 
A similar but lengthier process compared to Alipay.
Using Wechat for payments

You can access both the scan and QR code payment methods from the home screen or under “me”->“pay and services”->”money”. How you’d make a payment is exactly the same as Alipay. 

It’s also very popular for locals to transfer money to each other from within a chat (see image). This is not possible with an international bank card, so if someone requests this, ask for their QR code instead. You can, however, receive a balance, so if you have family or friends in China, you can ask them to transfer you money this way and you will subsequently have a balance to use.  
 
Access QR code from the pay and services page, or more conveniently from the home screen (where all your chats are).
The “transfer” method within a chat only works if you have a balance, and that requires a local bank account or if someone local transfers you money. 
Payment Settings

You can arrange priority of payment methods just like Alipay under the “money” tab.
  • Navigation

A-map (高德地图）

This is my navigation app of choice. I usually use the Chinese version, but the English version is pretty good; you generally don’t need the address written in Chinese to find your way, and it’s actually a cleaner experience since the Chinese version has some distracting ads and features. 

A-Map is intuitive and has stellar public transport information across the country. 
Detailed instructions for public transportation.
You can also hail a car directly from the app (I have not personally done this, but many people use it since it’s often cheaper than Didi).

Baidu (百度地图）

I deleted my Baidu app about a month into China and haven’t really missed it. Doesn’t hurt to have another maps app though.
Transportation
ride-hailing

DiDi
There are sooo many ways to hail a car (even on map applications, as mentioned above) but to keep things simple (unless you want to challenge yourself), DiDi is the way to go and often affordable enough as a top choice over public transport. 

The English version has noticeably fewer features than its Chinese counterpart, including the very useful “hitch-hiking” option that can be half the price. More of that in a later section. 

Didi is available as a “mini-app” both within WeChat and Alipay, but you can download it separately as well. 

How-to

  1. Enter the Didi mini-app via WeChat or Alipay.

  2. You’ll need a phone number. A mainland number is better, but you can also enter an international number. A verification code is required, so make sure to do this while you have access to sms when registering.

  3. You can now hail a car! It’s very intuitive, but make sure to enter clear addresses for both the starting and ending points rather than relying on the pinned location, especially if there’s a language barrier.

  4. You’ll see a few options with different prices. Just pick the one(s) that’s within your budget. 

  5. You might need the last four digits of your phone number for your driver. Have that handy especially if you have a new Chinese number.

The English version of DiDi is similar to other ride-hailing apps.
Choose the ride of your choice.
The Chinese version has more ride options, but the price differences only vary largely if the distance is longer.

domestic flights

Trip.com

Trip.com is great for booking domestic travel. Chinese domestic airlines generally have clunky websites (locals usually book via mini apps with much better UX). 

You might not be able to check in and choose your seat online unless you access the mini-apps though; I haven’t found that to be a big deal. Airport counters have usually been pretty efficient. 
High-speed rail

Railway12306 & Trip.com

Railway 12306 is the go-to train booking (both high-speed and hard seats) app. You’d need enter your passport info to register an account, so try to get set up before departure or well-ahead of your travel dates. Tickets might run out on popular routes, so also take a browse ahead of time.

Note that when traveling long distances, high-speed rail tickets might sometimes be more expensive than airfare.

You can buy train tickets on Trip.com as well. I personally have not tried it, but it appears to have the basic functionalities within reasonable price ranges. 
Metro

Alipay

This is one of my favourite features of Alipay—you can easily take public transport between all cities in China right within Alipay.

How-to
  1. Tap the “transport” tab on the homepage. If you have your location services turned on, it should already show your current city. You an also select locations manually.

  2. Tap “get now” to either obtain a metro or bus pass. If you haven’t entered your ID info when you registered for Alipay, you’ll need to do so now.

  3. You’ll receive a QR code to enter and exit the metro or buses. Accompany this with A-map and you’ll take public transit like a pro. 
    Access this feature via the “transport” tab.
    The availability of cards will depend on which modes of transport are available in each city.
    Get a QR code after entering passport info.
    intercity buses

    WeChat & Alipay

    Inter-city buses are a little more complicated and often require ticket buying through mini-apps, which requires a bit of local knowledge on which companies to use, pickup and drop off points, etc. I’d ask a hotel staff to help with this, or see if any of the above options are possible first. 






     
    AccommodationsJust like ride-hailing options, there are also many ways to book hotels. However, I’d stick with Trip.com to keep things simple. Both the web and mobile interfaces are easy to navigate, and they’ve been very reliable during all my travels so far. 

    A few tips on booking accommodations in China:

    Many hotels allow smoking indoors. Even though there are non-smoking rooms, I’ve found that smoke can still travel through the vents; this can be very annoying if you’re sensitive to smoke. International and well-known chains on the pricier end is a good way to avoid this, but most hotels will also let you switch rooms if it’s an issue.

    A good tip from my cousins: newer buildings (2022 and after is my threshold) will generally be more pleasant. This info is available on listings within Trip.

    Just like with restaurants, guests can be incentivized to rate a hotel on the higher end in return for things like goodie bags. Try to read a few of lower-rated reviews and see if there are any patterns, and note the recency of problems that guests had. 
    © Tracy Xie 2025IndexScroll to top