WeChat Pay, and why you need both

You will end up with both wallets. Alipay is better documented and friendlier to foreign cards; WeChat is where the landlord, the agent and the neighbour will actually message you, and its payment sits one tab away from that conversation.

Getting the account, which is the hard part

New WeChat accounts registered outside China sometimes need a scan-to-verify from an existing user — someone who has had an account for a while, has payment enabled, and has not vouched for anyone recently. Ask a friend before you leave. If nobody can vouch, register while you still have your home number working and give the account a few weeks of ordinary use before you rely on it.

Turning on payment

1. 1

   Me → Services → Wallet

   If Services is missing, the account region is set outside China — Me → Settings → General → Region.

2. 2

   Add a card

   Foreign Visa and Mastercard can be bound directly. The name on the card has to match your passport.

3. 3

   Verify with your passport

   Wallet → Payment Settings → Real-name. Same photograph-and-face flow as Alipay.

What WeChat does that Alipay does not

• Money between people: 转账 transfers and 红包 red packets, which is how splitting a bill actually happens.
• The conversation and the payment are in the same app, so a landlord asking for a utility bill can send the photo and receive the money in one thread.
• Mini-programs for almost everything, including Meituan's bikes.