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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: Jingdong
  4. Ride-sharing: Shunfengche (WIP)
  5. Online shopping: Taobao (WIP)


Etiquette and observations

  1. Dining (WIP)
  2. Noise Levels (WIP)
CouponsMeituan, aside from its delivery services, is similar to Groupon and has a myriad of discount categories, from massages to meals. Certain uses are more complex and require an appointment/contact with the business, while others are simpler and immediately generates a QR code for usage. Most coupons are refundable.

In general, I don’t think coupons are essential to the China tourist experience, but it’ll definitely help you feel more integrated since discounts are a big part of consumer culture here.

Meituan (美团)

Services (massages, fitness classes, beauty, etc.)
Services on Meituan can be a mixed bag in terms of how they operate. After purchasing a package, you might be required to make an appointment via the app through available time slots, contact the business to book time, or not require an appointment at all. This information is all available in the app, but will require an understanding of Chinese. 

Food pick-up/dining in
You can also find (usually small) discounts on food when dining in; I like to check Meituan once I sit down to see if I can save a bit of money. 

Using coupons
After purchasing a coupon, a QR code will be generated for use at physical locations; you can use this QR code when you order or checkout in person. 

Food & drink coupons will be automatically added to the business’ mini-app within WeChat if you use your Meituan phone number to register for it. You can then use the coupon when ordering on your phone. This is a bit of a nuisance for short-term travel, so I’d just let the employee scan your QR code. 
Each coupon you buy provides comprehensive information (in Chinese): whether you need to book ahead, when you can use it, how long it’s available for, what the service entails, etc.
An example on some discounts on milk tea. This looks pretty similar to the takeout options, but a QR code will be generated instead.
There are usually instructions on how to load your coupon onto WeChat, but it might be simpler to just show the employee your QR code. 
An example of how a ready-to-use QR code looks like. 
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