For many first-time visitors to China, setting up Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) raises an immediate concern: why is a payment app asking for my passport?
Then comes another question. If you register Alipay using your passport and an international bank card, does it work like a normal Chinese Alipay account? Can you pay merchants? Can other people send money to you?
A Western traveler preparing for China asked exactly these questions.
We put them to the ChinaTravelBUG AI Travel Planner.
The Traveler’s Question
This question was shared publicly by a Western traveler in a Facebook China travel community and is reproduced here for travel-planning discussion.
Hey Everyone!
I’ve a question about Alipay, i just download Alipay and now they asking my Passport name and number. So my question is if i registered here by this way, can i receive money if someone wanna send me? Will i be able to use this Alipay without Chinese bank card? Please give me honest suggestion.
Thanks in advance!!!
AI Travel Planner Answers
Yes — you can use Alipay in China without a Chinese bank account or Chinese bank card. The passport request is part of Alipay’s real-name verification process for overseas users.
The important distinction is paying vs. receiving money:
- Paying: Yes. You can link an eligible international bank card to Alipay and use it for everyday purchases in mainland China. Alipay’s current official guidance specifically supports this for overseas travelers. ()
- Receiving money/transfers: Don’t assume your tourist/overseas setup works like a normal Chinese Alipay wallet. Alipay states that international bank cards do not support person-to-person transfers or sending/receiving red packets, along with some other financial services. ()
- Chinese bank account: You do not need one simply to pay merchants while traveling.
So my suggestion is: complete the passport verification and link your normal international Visa/Mastercard or other supported card. Use Alipay primarily as a payment method, rather than relying on it to receive money from friends.
It’s also sensible to bring a physical bank card and some RMB cash as backups. China is heavily digital-payment oriented, but you don’t want your entire trip depending on one app or one card.
Further Reading
Can Foreign Tourists Use Alipay in China?
Read the article: https://chinatravelbug.com/can-foreign-tourists-use-alipay-in-china/
This explains the Alipay setup specifically from the perspective of an international visitor.
ChinaTravelBUG Verification Note
Last verified: August 12, 2026
Payment-platform rules can change, so ChinaTravelBUG separately checks consequential payment information appearing in AI Travel Planner Answers.
Can Foreign Travelers Use Alipay Without a Chinese Bank Account?
Yes.
International visitors can use Alipay for merchant payments without opening a Chinese bank account. Overseas users can complete identity verification and link supported international bank cards for eligible payments in mainland China.
The request for passport information is therefore not, by itself, an indication that the traveler needs a Chinese bank account.
Travelers should enter their identity information carefully and follow the current verification instructions displayed within the official Alipay app.
Paying Is Different From Having a Domestic Alipay Wallet
This is the most important distinction in the original AI Travel Planner answer.
Being able to link an overseas Visa, Mastercard or another supported international card to Alipay for merchant paymentsdoes not mean every feature available to a Chinese Alipay user will necessarily be available to an overseas visitor.
In particular, travelers should not assume that person-to-person transfers, receiving money, red packets (红包, hóngbāo) and other wallet or financial functions will work simply because their international card successfully works for merchant payments.
If receiving money from another person is important for your trip, check the current Alipay rules for your particular account and funding method rather than relying on merchant-payment functionality as proof that transfers will also work.
Don’t Depend on One Payment Method
Even after successfully setting up Alipay, international travelers should consider having backup payment options.
A practical setup can include:
Alipay + an international bank card + another usable card + some RMB cash.
Mobile payments are deeply embedded in everyday life in China, but technical problems, card declines, verification issues and merchant-specific payment problems can still occur.
Having a backup means a temporary problem with one app or card doesn’t become a travel emergency.
A Note About This AI Travel Planner Answer
This answer is shown as originally generated, without editorial rewriting.
You may notice the () markers in the original answer. These appeared in the AI Travel Planner’s original output and have deliberately been left unchanged rather than silently edited.
Payment information can change, especially international-card support, identity-verification requirements, transfer functionality, transaction limits and other Alipay features. Always check current official information before relying on a particular payment function during your trip.
Ask the ChinaTravelBUG AI Travel Planner — FREE
Setting up Alipay before your first China trip and suddenly finding yourself staring at passport verification, international cards and unfamiliar payment options?
Ask the FREE ChinaTravelBUG AI-assisted Travel Planner.
You can ask a very specific question—just like this traveler did.
Tell it what you’re trying to do and where you’re getting stuck. It can help you work through payments, apps, trains, attraction tickets, transport and the other practical questions that appear while planning a China trip.
And when those individual questions start becoming an actual journey, the Planner can help turn the conversation into a personalized, realistic day-by-day China itinerary.
Ask your China travel question with the FREE ChinaTravelBUG AI Travel Planner.
