Alipay and WeChat Pay fees and limits for foreign cards
Quick answer
Payments of ¥200 or less (per payment) have no fee. Above ¥200, the fee is 3% of the whole payment. WeChat Pay has two limit levels for foreign cards: ¥3,000 per payment and ¥15,000 a year with basic sign-up, or ¥35,000 per payment and ¥350,000 a year after you complete passport verification. Your own bank may also charge a foreign transaction fee.
On this page
Fees
| Per payment | Alipay | WeChat Pay |
|---|---|---|
| ¥200 or less | No fee | No fee |
| Over ¥200 | About 3% | 3% |
Above ¥200, the 3% applies to the whole payment, not just the part over ¥200.
WeChat Pay limits
| Per payment | Per day | Per year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic sign-up only | ¥3,000 | — | ¥15,000 |
| After passport verification | ¥35,000 | ¥35,000 | ¥350,000 |
So complete passport verification in WeChat before you fly to get the much higher limits. WeChat adjusts limits based on risk checks, so go by what the payment screen shows.
Alipay doesn't publish one limit for every card. Check what the app shows; limits are lower if you haven't verified your passport.
Tips
- Your bank may add its own foreign transaction or currency conversion fee. Ask before you go.
- Some debit cards have their own lower daily limits set by the bank.
- For big payments like hotels, pay by card directly or prepay on Trip.com instead of using a QR code.
- Check your limits: in Alipay, look under Settings → Payment settings. In WeChat, go to Me → Services → Wallet.