Paying with WeChat when you're the only one at the counter who can't
Almost every till in mainland China settles by QR code. The mechanics take two minutes to learn; the part that trips people up is that payments go in two directions, and the cashier assumes you know which one they mean.
The two directions
You scan them. There's a printed code on the counter or taped to a stall. Open WeChat, tap the + in the top right, choose Scan, point at the code, type the amount and confirm. This is how small shops, market stalls and most street food work.
They scan you. In supermarkets and chains, you open your payment code (in WeChat: the Me tab, then Services, then Money — the wording shifts between versions) and show the barcode to the scanner at the till. It reads it and takes the amount. Never show this code to anyone who isn't the cashier; it's a live payment instrument.
The one sentence that resolves it: 我扫你还是你扫我？
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我扫你还是你扫我？ | Wǒ sǎo nǐ háishì nǐ sǎo wǒ? | Do I scan you, or do you scan me? |
| 扫我 | Sǎo wǒ | Scan mine |
| 微信可以吗？ | Wēixìn kěyǐ ma? | Is WeChat OK? |
| 用支付宝可以吗？ | Yòng Zhīfùbǎo kěyǐ ma? | Can I use Alipay? |
| 付款码在这儿 | Fùkuǎnmǎ zài zhèr | Here's my payment code |
| 多少钱？ | Duōshao qián? | How much is it? |
| 付好了 | Fù hǎo le | It's paid |
| 现金可以吗？ | Xiànjīn kěyǐ ma? | Is cash OK? |
Setting it up before you need it
WeChat Pay requires real-name verification — your passport details, entered in the app — before it will move money, and you'll be asked to link a card. Both international cards and Chinese bank cards can be linked, depending on your account; limits, fees and supported card types change, so read the confirmation screen before you tap through rather than trusting a number you read in a blog post.
Do this at home with a good connection, not in a queue. It sometimes takes a day.
Alipay works the same way and is worth having as well, because a till that refuses one will usually take the other.
When it fails at the counter
It happens, and it's almost never your fault personally.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 没付成功 | Méi fù chénggōng | It didn't go through |
| 我再试一次 | Wǒ zài shì yí cì | I'll try once more |
| 我的卡是国外的 | Wǒ de kǎ shì guówài de | My card is a foreign one |
| 可以给我开发票吗？ | Kěyǐ gěi wǒ kāi fāpiào ma? | Could I have a fapiao (official receipt)? |
Cash is still legal tender and shops are not permitted to refuse it, though a small stall may genuinely not have change for a large note. Carrying a couple of hundred yuan in small notes is the simplest backup there is.
What Laonei does here
Laonei will read a Chinese payment screen or error message from a photo and tell you what it's asking for, and its ask mode answers questions about how paying here works, with the Chinese sentence you'd need attached. It won't help anyone get around real-name verification — when the screen wants your passport, it says so plainly, which is the honest answer. liuxuesheng.help/talk
FAQ
Can a foreigner use WeChat Pay in China without a Chinese bank account? Generally yes — WeChat Pay supports linking international cards after real-name verification with your passport. Acceptance, limits and fees vary by card and change over time, so check what the confirmation screen says at the moment you pay, and keep Alipay set up as a second option.
What do I say when I don't know whether to scan or be scanned? Ask 我扫你还是你扫我？(wǒ sǎo nǐ háishì nǐ sǎo wǒ?). If they answer 扫我 (sǎo wǒ), you scan their code. If they hold up a scanner or say 付款码 (fùkuǎnmǎ), open your payment code and show it. Holding your phone out slightly usually gets the point across on its own.
What if my WeChat payment is refused in a shop? Say 没付成功 (méi fù chénggōng), then try Alipay or cash. Refusals are often the merchant's terminal or a limit on foreign cards rather than your balance. Shops are not allowed to turn down cash, so a few small notes will get you out of the queue every time.