Alipay and WeChat Tour Card application services are being gradually discontinued. New application methods have been updated. We recommend reading the Complete Guide to Mobile Payments in China for Foreigners overview article first to better understand this guide.
What is Tour Card
Author's recommendation:
Tour Card is indeed more lightweight, but it has a 5% recharge service fee.
Tour Card can only be used at merchants that support UnionPay (UnionPay is the official electronic payment of China UnionPay, covering mainstream consumption scenarios such as restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and attractions nationwide, but its coverage for street vendors is not as extensive as Alipay and WeChat).
So I suggest you can choose to directly register for Alipay or WeChat and bind a bank card for consumption. Please refer to the following two guides for details:
Tour Card is a prepaid card service launched by China UnionPay, providing short-term visitors to China with a temporary account for consumption in China.
Users can recharge this account with their international bank cards and then use it for both online and offline consumption.
Tour Card Usage Rules
- When the recharge amount exceeds 3,500 RMB (500 USD), identity information is required. Limited to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas individuals aged 18 and above.
- The account is valid for one year from the date of issuance. After expiration, it will be automatically frozen. You can choose to refund, close the account, or reapply.
- Currently supported card types include: VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club International, JCB.
- Each recharge to the account incurs a 5% service fee.
- The recharge limit during the one-year validity period is approximately 70,000 RMB (10,000 USD). If you want to recharge more, you can only reactivate the card after the validity period expires.
- The account can only be used for consumption within mainland China. It does not support transfers to others, wealth management, withdrawals, or other functions.
Applying for Tour Card
Currently, applications can be made through two apps:
- UnionPay: The official payment app of China UnionPay
- Nihao China: A foreigner-exclusive app launched by UnionPay at the end of 2025, supporting registration via email, Apple ID, and international mobile numbers, integrating payment, transportation, translation, and other functions.
Applying via UnionPay
- Search for and download UnionPay in the Apple Store or Google Play
- Register using your mobile number (international numbers supported)
- Search for "Tour Card" in the search bar
- Tap "Activate the Wallet"
- You can choose the recharge amount. Recharges less than 500 USD do not require passport verification of your identity information.
Applying via Nihao China
- Search for and download Nihao China in the Apple Store or Google Play
- Register using email, Apple ID, or mobile number (international numbers supported)
- Tap "Activate" -> "Enable" on the homepage
- Enter your mobile number to activate your account
- You can choose the recharge amount. Recharges less than 3,500 RMB (500 USD) do not require passport verification of your identity information.
Making Payments
- Offline payment: Choose to display your QR Code or scan the merchant's QR code for payment based on the merchant's accepted payment methods.
- Online shopping payment: Select UnionPay as the payment method when placing an order, and the corresponding UnionPay or Nihao China app will automatically open for payment.
Note on Alipay and WeChat Tour Card Application Service Discontinuation
According to the announcement:
WeChat Tour Card service has been completely discontinued. Starting from May 29, 2026, Alipay mini-programs will stop card opening and activation services. Existing accounts can still be recharged, used for consumption, and refunded. After card expiration, refunds and account closure can be processed through the Alipay mini-program. After closure, you can transfer to the Nihao China or UnionPay app to continue using Tour Card services.
Since Alipay's application service is still valid (but in practice, new users may find it difficult to locate the Tour Card application entry), we have kept the previous application information below and will delete it after all channels expire.
Tour Card (Old Application Method Expiring Soon)
This application method is about to expire. Please check the latest application methods above.
- Open Alipay, search for "Tour Card" in the top search bar to access Alipay Tour Card. If you want to use WeChat Tour Card, search for "Tour Card" in WeChat's search bar.
Additional note: There is a Tour Card entry on WeChat's bank card binding page. This service is ultimately provided by Shanghai Bank, so the functions are exactly the same, but the platform provider is a third-party company. This platform service is not very stable, so it is still recommended to use the Tour Card mini-program directly.
- Because you need to verify whether you are in China, you need to turn on your phone's location and allow the app to use location information.
- After entering Tour Card, you can swipe through the steps section to view the current terms and rules for using the account.
- Tap 【Use Now】to enter the application page. You can choose to apply for:
Standard Card (annual limit of 50,000 RMB) Experience Card (annual limit of 14,000 RMB, can apply to increase the limit later)
- Fill in your personal identity information and submit for review. The specific review period will be prompted after you submit your application (estimated within 3 business days).
- After approval, you can use the recharge, bind to Alipay or WeChat, and other functions on the page (for manual binding, please refer to the bank card binding section in the Alipay and WeChat registration articles referenced at the beginning, and simply bind the Tour Card number).