The short version: Getting around China as a foreigner is far easier than it used to be. Two things do almost all the work: Didi (滴滴) for taxis and Alipay or WeChat QR codes for the metro. The single setup that unlocks everything is to link your foreign Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly. You don’t need a Chinese bank account or a Chinese SIM. Set it up at home, test it once, and you’ll glide through the country.

Start here: link a card to Alipay or WeChat

Almost every transport headache in China dissolves once you’ve linked an international Visa or Mastercard to Alipay (支付宝) or WeChat Pay (微信支付). Both now accept many foreign cards, and both power the metro, buses, taxis and Didi. Do this before you travel, while you still have easy access to your home banking app for verification, and run one tiny test purchase if you can. For the full payment walk-through, see our paying in China guide. Of the two, many travellers find Alipay the smoother starting point for international cards, but setting up both gives you a backup if one ever declines a card.

Didi (滴滴): ride-hailing the easy way

Didi is China’s answer to Uber, and it’s the most reliable way for a visitor to get a car. Fares are shown upfront, there’s no haggling, every driver is registered and the ride is tracked in-app. You can use it with your passport and a foreign phone number, and the interface offers English.

You have two practical routes to Didi:

1. The Didi mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat. Rather than the standalone app, many travellers in 2026 prefer opening Didi inside Alipay or WeChat (search “Didi” / “滴滴” within the app). Payment flows straight through your already-linked card, and translation tends to be smoother. This is the lowest-friction option for most visitors.

2. The standalone Didi app. Search for “DiDi” in your app store before you arrive, since some stores restrict it once you’re in China. Register with your passport and phone number, then set your linked Alipay or WeChat wallet as the payment method. The standalone app sometimes lists more vehicle types, but the mini-program is usually all a tourist needs.

A few practical notes: type or paste your destination in Chinese where you can (hotel concierge can write it for you), pin your pickup point carefully in crowded areas, and don’t be surprised if the driver phones you — the in-app translation handles most of it, and a screenshot of your destination always helps.

The metro: scan a QR code and walk through

For subways you usually don’t need Didi or paper tickets at all. The standard method is a transport QR code generated in Alipay or WeChat: you scan it at the turnstile to tap in, and scan again to tap out, with the fare deducted from your linked card.

In Alipay: open the app, find the Transport section, and add the city you’re in (you set this up once per city). It produces a metro/transit QR code (the “rail” or “metro” code) you show at the gate.

In WeChat: search for the transport code — often listed as chengchema (乘车码) — and add your city the same way.

Coverage keeps expanding: dozens of Chinese cities now support QR-code transit payment for foreign-card users, including all the big destinations you’re likely to visit. Where a particular city or line hasn’t enabled foreign cards, the fallback is simple — buy a single-journey token from the station machines or counter with cash or, in some cities, by scanning a wallet. Last verified: June 2026; city-by-city support changes, so confirm in-app on arrival.

Buses, bikes & high-speed rail

City buses generally take the same Alipay/WeChat transport code as the metro — scan as you board. Shared bikes (the ride-anywhere kind) are also unlocked through the wallets, handy for short hops. For intercity travel, China’s superb high-speed rail is a different system: you book with your passport, and our dedicated piece on the high-speed rail circuit covers how to plan a multi-city route. If you’re mapping out cities, start with our China itinerary and plan-your-trip hub.

Connectivity: you need data for all of this

None of these apps work without an internet connection, and many overseas SIMs struggle behind China’s firewall. Sort your data before you go — an eSIM that routes around the usual blocks is the easiest fix. Our best eSIM for China travel guide explains the options, and our apps blocked in China rundown tells you what won’t work without a VPN. For staying in touch and meeting people, see WeChat for gay travellers.

A 10-minute pre-flight checklist

Before you board: install Alipay and/or WeChat and link a Visa or Mastercard; complete any identity verification while you still have your home banking app handy; install Didi (or confirm you can reach it inside Alipay/WeChat); sort an eSIM or data plan; and save your hotel’s name and address in Chinese. Do those five things and you’ll step off the plane able to summon a car and ride the metro within minutes. For everything else trip-related, our China gay travel guide is the place to start.

Set up payments in China →

Sources: Trip.com, China Neighbor, China Guidelines and Baba Goes China 2026 transport guides; official Beijing Subway passenger information. Last verified: June 2026. App interfaces, city coverage and card acceptance change frequently — confirm in-app on arrival.