India has gone a step ahead with their UPI based payment system. You don't even need to transfer money between your bank account and your mobile wallet. With the UPI interface you can use your cellphone to transfer money to another person or business just like China, and it doesn't expose your account numbers.
A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
91–100 of 115 posts
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's clearly going against the intent of the company, and possibly the Communist party, I don't think I'm completely out of line using the term.
You are saying this is fraud?
I'm saying you could find yourself in trouble with the local party officials yes.
Most individuals are going to fly under the radar I hope, but it's still a bit of a risk.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was SOL a couple of times visiting India and Netherlands, which I scarily found did not take UnionPay cards period! Always bring plenty of backup cash (USD, not RMB) and a credit card or two, especially if you are using Chinese ATM cards. India kind of makes sense, but the Netherlands? Seriously? I hope things are different now.
Many places in NL only accept Maestro and Visa Electron cards ( pin payment cards, as they call them), and won't take any other regular major debit/credit cards. Including UnionPay.
Never had a problem with Amex and American ATM cards, just UnionPay.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are saying this is fraud?
I'm saying you could find yourself in trouble with the local party officials yes. Most individuals are going to fly under the radar I hope, but it's still a bit of a risk.
OP here. Yes, it's a bit of a risk. But I figure that it's a small one.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
Luckily, you can rent battery backs for your cell phone everywhere in major cities in China (my experience was in Shanghai). I loved using my phone for everything and it was a little unsettling leaving the apartment only with my papers and a phone.
yes i’m sure your battery will work great when you lose your phone
What's the difference between losing your wallet and being unable to purchase anything?
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
What use is going to a phone store when you don't have any means of paying for a phone? Further, in many countries you can't buy a sim card without ID so if your ID was stored on your phone, you're screwed there too.
I made this point separately, but you can use the phone you're buying to pay for itself, just log into WeChat on it while in the shop. I hope you're carrying your passport in a foreign country.
logging into your wechat account on a new phone is not that easy. it asks you for verification by sending an sms to your old number, and there was also something about needing to contact old wechat friends to have them verify you. (i don't remember the details of how that worked and why it was necessary)
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#97I was getting funny looks from taxi drivers and waitresses, all of whom were disappointed that another primitive foreigner was forcing them to use cash. I simply don't like the thought that if I forget my phone, get my phone taken from me, drop my phone and it breaks, or run out of battery that I'll be stranded somewhere and unable to buy food, check in to a hotel, or even get home. Societies should move toward more…
it has been recently asserted that not accepting cash in china is a violation of the law. so for the time being, you can't be forced to use online payments.
i use it only for buying things off the internet or for the rare occasions where i don't have enough cash on me.
i also have a separate bank account only for online payments to limit the damage should the online payment system be somehow exploited.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#98Given that the Chinese government actively promotes tourism, the number of hoops a foreigner has to jump through to pay for things where cash isn't accepted is quite ridiculous.
Businesses can accept foreigner credit cards. But why would they, when foreigners are a tiny proportion of the population, and taking such cards probably costs them a fortune? Someone just told me that the Shanghai hotel I stayed in for several days last week costs foreigners double the Chinese rate. Undoubtedly, part of that rate includes various taxes, and takes the payment margin into account.
that sounds like a scam. i have not experienced that anywhere yet. there are hotels that don't accept foreigners. but any place that charges a foreigner more than a local for the same service is very dubious.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#99Since this is being used as a guide, it might be worth being pedantic and pointing out that it's the 'wrong' way of doing it. It definitely beats carrying cash but it's a 'second class citizen'-ish way of using mobile payment. The mechanism the OP used is the 'pocket change' system which, like its name suggest, can't be used everywhere. It's great for getting casual consummables, getting ice cream etc but doesn't wor…
This is false, you cannot open a bank account unless you live in China (work & residence proof required). Source: just came back from China, went to a few banks and tried to open an account. AliPay seems to now accept foreign debit cards though as a source of funding.
well, it obviously worked, so it can't be false.
reality is: rules change. bank-clerks are not always up-to-date on rules. also, there are local variations. things that work in beijing or shanghai may not work in smaller cities, or vice versa. it also depends on the bank.
all you can take is that: one person was able to open a bank account, another was not.
when something doesn't work somethimes this means, other experiences are old, sometimes it means that it's worth trying a few places.
Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China
#100I think in comparison visa/master cards are really outdated payment methods. They are expensive and discriminative as merchants need to pay 2-3% transaction cost and banks give rebates based on some complex calculation. They are highly insecure as it’s easy for malicious actors to spoof your card.