Travelers to China are discovering that navigating the country's cashless payment systems poses more challenges than language barriers or navigation apps - and the problems multiply exponentially in Hong Kong.
A detailed trip report from a recent 11-day journey through Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong reveals the payment chaos awaiting unprepared visitors.
The Mainland Reality
In mainland China, cash has essentially disappeared. Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate everything from subway turnstiles to street food vendors. Your foreign credit card? Largely useless.
The traveler who shared their experience had set up Alipay before departure and encountered no issues. Their sister-in-law, however, struggled with verification codes to her US number, causing her Alipay to malfunction throughout the trip.
The eSIM Problem
Many travelers buy eSIMs through services like Trip.com, but reliability varies wildly. One family member's eSIM randomly switched to "no service," forcing constant hotspot usage from another phone just to scan subway QR codes.
The better solution: Get a Chinese SIM card from China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom immediately upon arrival. This unlocks not just reliable data, but integration with Chinese payment apps and services.
With a local number, travelers can order KFC from the high-speed rail, arrange Meituan deliveries to hotel rooms via service robots, and rent bikes seamlessly. Without it, every transaction becomes a negotiation.
Hong Kong: An Unexpected Disaster
