Both work with Alipay and WeChat Pay. Keep both apps ready on your phone's home screen for quick access.

International credit cards may work at major hotels, some malls, and larger tourist-facing businesses. But for daily spending, especially smaller restaurants, local shops, taxis, cafés, convenience stores, and less tourist-heavy areas, mobile payments are usually much smoother.

Set up Alipay and/or WeChat Pay before you arrive, and keep a small amount of cash as backup.

Most daily payments are mobile-first, but keep some cash (¥1,000-2,000) for:

• Small street vendors who only accept cash
• Rural areas and small towns
• Some traditional markets
• Emergency backup if your phone dies
• Tipping tour guides (if you choose to)

ATMs: Use major-bank ATMs and check fees before withdrawing. If asked, choose CNY / local currency and decline dynamic currency conversion.

If Alipay fails (card declined, network issue), immediately switch to WeChat Pay — or vice versa. Most merchants accept both.

Always have both set up and verified before your trip. Having two payment methods is your safety net. If both mobile payments fail, show your physical card — larger stores and hotels accept Visa/Mastercard.

China has no tipping culture. Tipping may be refused or cause confusion. This applies to:

• Restaurants — no tip expected
• Taxis / DiDi — no tip expected
• Hotels — no tip expected (bellhops may accept but it's not expected)
• Tour guides — small tip appreciated but not required

The price you see is the price you pay. No service charge, no gratuity line on receipts.