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A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

blog.lerner.co.il

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Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

#111

Post by zavi »

jason_slack wrote: post #109
zavi wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> This is false, you cannot open a bank account unless you > live in China (work & residence proof required). This is completely false.

I went to ICBC and ABC branches last week in Beijing near Tsinghua and they both told me no bank account on my tourist visa. What am I missing?

Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

#112

Post by gcb0 »

reuven wrote: post #88
xster wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may or may not be what the OP meant but if you trust Google Play and don't trust anything else like an APK from WeChat's website, then you won't be able to get it from the Play Store once you enter China. (Though you won't need to do this if you roam on some carriers like Google Fi or use the WiFi of some nicer hotels)

Yes, that was my point — that if you visit China with a non-Chinese Android phone, the phone will get apps from Google Play. Without a VPN, it won't be able to access Google Play, putting you in a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. So you need to install the VPN before you visit.

my question was about usage, since for installation you already recommend doing so out of China in the first place

Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

#113

Post by shubham0075 »

Hey OP, Thanks for your guide. I am from India where we have similar analouges such as PayTM and PhonePe. While Paytm is ubiquitous, cash is still king here.

I also had a chuckle when you had to explain so precisely the mechanism of how money is transferred between wechat accounts. I guess that is probably due to the fact that people in the west have very less experience with such services.

As an interesting additional thing, a new thing called UPI (unified Payments Interface) has been running in India. It basically allows you ti use your bank account like a wechat wallet. It is really popular among the young demographic and is gaining a wider acceptance due to less fees and no need of handing your money over to a company like Paytm or Wechat first. Money travels from bank account to bank account instantly with no fees.

Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

#114

Post by reuven »

gcb0 wrote: post #112
reuven wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that was my point — that if you visit China with a non-Chinese Android phone, the phone will get apps from Google Play. Without a VPN, it won't be able to access Google Play, putting you in a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. So you need to install the VPN before you visit.

my question was about usage, since for installation you already recommend doing so out of China in the first place

You need to install a VPN before you go to China.

Then, once you're within China, you can use the VPN to access restricted sites and services -- including the various app stores.

Re: A foreigner's guide to WeChat payments in China

#115

Post by jason_slack »

zavi wrote: post #111
jason_slack wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is false, you cannot open a bank account unless you > live in China (work & residence proof required). This is completely false.

I went to ICBC and ABC branches last week in Beijing near Tsinghua and they both told me no bank account on my tourist visa. What am I missing?

hmm, tourist visa. Perhaps this is the key. I have a work visa.
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