Will your card actually work in China?
Every other site can only tell you your result. This page collects what travelers with your card, your bank, and your country actually experienced — and publishes it openly.
No test results have been collected yet, so no percentages are published — we would rather show nothing than show a number built on two reports. What follows is a rule-based expectation derived from published platform rules and documented failure modes, clearly labelled as such. Once a combination has 5 real reports, it moves into the measured table and gets its own page.
What the platform rules predict
These come from published Alipay and WeChat Pay international-card rules and the failure modes travelers report most often. They are expectations, not measurements.
| Network | Card type | App | QR type | Expectation | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | Credit | Alipay | Individual | Often fails | Individual (personal) QR codes commonly reject credit-card funding even after the card links successfully. This is the single most reported failure mode for visitors. |
| Visa | Credit | WeChat Pay | Individual | Often fails | Same pattern as Alipay: personal QR codes frequently decline credit cards on WeChat Pay too. |
| Any | Debit | Alipay | Individual | Usually works | Debit funding is accepted far more often on personal QR codes than credit. Still dependent on the issuing bank allowing overseas CNY transactions. |
| Any | Debit | WeChat Pay | Individual | Usually works | Debit is the better funding source for personal QR codes on both apps. |
| Any | Any | Alipay | Business | Usually works | Alipay business (merchant) QR codes accept international cards from Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Discover, Diners and UnionPay International. Failures here usually point at the card or issuing bank, not the code. |
| Any | Any | WeChat Pay | Business | Usually works | WeChat Pay merchant QR codes accept most international cards. Some issuers decline WeChat specifically while allowing Alipay, so test both. |
| Amex / Discover / Diners | Any | Any | Business | Sometimes works | Formally supported by Alipay's international card programme, but merchant-level acceptance is thinner than Visa and Mastercard. WeChat Pay support varies more. |
| Any | Prepaid / travel card | Any | Individual | Often fails | Prepaid travel cards are frequently treated as credit or as non-verifiable funding on personal QR codes. They generally do better on merchant codes. |
| Any | Any | Any | Any | Depends on your bank | Many banks block overseas or CNY transactions by default. A decline here is a bank decision, not an Alipay or WeChat problem. Notify your bank before travelling. |
| Any | Any | Any | Any | Blocked until verified | Both apps require passport-based identity verification before international cards can transact. Until that completes, payments fail regardless of card quality. |
Add your result
The database only gets useful with volume. If you have just run the QR test, reporting takes a few seconds and no personal details.
Methodology and limits
- Two kinds of information are shown and never blended: rule-based expectations from published platform documentation, and measured results from self-reported traveler tests.
- No percentage is published below 5 reports for a given combination.
- Self-reported data is voluntary and unverified. A successful test proves one payment worked for one person on one day.
- We collect card network, card type, issuer, country of issue, app, QR type, and outcome. We never collect names, emails, card numbers, CVV, or passport details.
- Last data update: 2026-09-05.