Alipay international transfer: How to use Alipay to make international money transfers in China?

For foreigners working and living in China, cross-border money transfer can be an essential service. Most Chinese people use Alipay as one of their two primary methods of making payments, sending money domestically, and transferring funds. So, can Alipay make international transfers? Do you need to pay a handling fee? Is there any limit on the amount? Many expats in China are unclear about whether they can use this service. Is it only available to Chinese citizens? In this post, we will provide you with answers to all of the above questions, along with a thorough introduction to the Alipay international transfer process.

Along with Alipay, Wise is another convenient financial tool for electronic transactions in China. It's a practical tool for international transfers or remittance for expats in China. We will go into more details later in this post. Consider Wise as a good option for your online international banking. Open a Wise multi-currency account to send, convert, and retain money more internationally than you could with a regular bank. More than 160 countries accept money transfers via Wise at any time.

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How do I use Alipay for international money transfer?

You have two options when it comes to using PayPal for cross-border money transfers: the PayPal app or the PayPal website. However, the first thing to do is to register an Alipay account, switch it to the English version, and link Paypal with your bank account. PayPal collaborates with a variety of global remittance platforms, including Remitly, Panda Remit, Paysend, Wise, Wirebarley, WorldRemit, and so on. Alipay supports 100+ countries overseas remittance¹. This feature allows overseas Chinese to send money to an Alipay account or a Chinese bank account from another country².

Step by step guide on how to use China Alipay to make an international wire transfer

1. Login to your Alipay app.
2. On the home page, click “More” > “Financial Management” > “Global Remittance”. If there is no “Global Remittance”, you need to add this service. Or just skip this step, go straight to step 3.
3. Enter "remit" or “跨境汇款 (cross-border remittance)”in the search bar at the top of home page.
4. Find “跨境汇款” from the result, and click it.
5. Select “闪速收款 (Alipay Quick Collect)”, and tap on “我是汇款人 (I am the remitter)”.
6. Select the remitting country | currency, and enter the remittance amount.
7. Compare the exchange rates and service charges provided by each remittance platform (the mini-app on Alipay), and choose one that best suits your requirements.
8. Continue the transfer on the mini-app.
9. Check the remittance details, and send the money.

Please note:

• Even with the Alipay English app, the entire international transfer feature is displayed in Chinese, including the instructions and function descriptions.
• The Alipay international transfer feature is only available to Chinese users who have completed real name authentication, including users from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan².

Obviously, expats in China are not able to send money internationally using Alipay. For non-Chinese nationals, it’s worth looking at Wise to send funds to or from China.

Can I use Alipay for international transfer without a Chinese bank card?

If you are a remitter, you can use the global remittance platform on Alipay to complete an international transfer, so you don’t have to use a Chinese bank card to send money to China from abroad.

If you are a receiver, you need to add collection methods to use the “Alipay Quick Collect” service. Make your “Alipay balance account” or “bank card” the collection method. Provided that you add both methods, if it is not possible to receive funds using the first method, Alipay will automatically select the second method.

What banks do Alipay support to collect money from abroad?

It doesn’t have to be a Chinese bank card to receive money via Alipay. Alipay also supports some international cards. Below we list a few options.

• Bank of China
• Agricultural Bank of China
• Bank of Communications
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
• VISA
• Mastercard
• Diners Club International
• JAB cards

Alipay international money transfer: fees, limits, and regulations

As for international transfer fees and limits via Alipay, it depends on the remittance platform you choose. You will have to check with each platform and look for relevant information. Normally, there will be fees, limits for each money transaction, and regulation you need to follow.

Can I use Alipay to send money out of China?

The answer is no. Within the Alipay app, you (Chinese users) can conveniently make international transfers, and receive money. But as a foreigner won’t be able to send money out of China using Alipay at this point.

There is, however,actually a way of sending money abroad via Alipay -- to pay for fees while studying abroad. Chinese students, or their parents, can use this feature to send money to their schools and pay for apartment rentals abroad.

Bottom line, it’s not possible for foreigners in China to make an international transfer via Alipay. Fortunately, you can do exactly this with Wise. With Wise, you can send money in to and out of China hassle-free.

Explore using Wise to send money out of China

Most countries in the world, including China, can use Wise. Wise made it possible for users to send money from China from July 2023. This means that you are now able to send your RMB earnings abroad. With a few simple taps on your screen, you can transfer funds out of China.

There are two things to consider. First, currently, the maximum amount that can be sent out of China using Wise is 100,000 CNY per transaction. And the total amount is determined by a number of factors, including your yearly income in China and the amount of income tax you have paid there. Secondly, Wise can only be used to transfer money from China to another account that belongs to you, be it your bank account or your Wise Account.

More details here: Send money to and from China using Wise today!

Using Alipay for international transfer FAQs

1. If you are a Philippine national in China, What you should know about using Alipay remittance?

• As we have explained earlier, to send money to or out of China is impractical if using Alipay. You can utilise Wise to do it.It’s quick and cheap.
• If you are a GCash user in the Philippines, you can transfer money from Alipay HK to GCash. But the Alipay mainland China version doesn’t support international transfer to GCash.

2. How long does Alipay take to transfer money internationally?
It depends on the country you send money from, and the remittance platform (the mini-apps within Alipay) you select. It can take a few minutes to several days.

3. How to withdraw money from Alipay？
After the international transfer via Alipay Quick Collect is done, your money will be sent to your Alipay balance or bank card. You can withdraw money from the Alipay balance to your bank account thereafter.

Wise: an international money transfer app to send money to over 70 countries including China!

Wise takes international electronic money transfer to a new level. You can do everything online or via the Wise app, without the dreaded task of waiting in long lines at most banks. To make sure you save and receive easily, Wise adopts a fair mid-market rate -- less handling fees for each transaction.

Enjoy a safe and reliable financial service by opening a Wise account today. Think of a Wise debit card as your electronic wallet in China. You can use it to shop, buy, and travel conveniently. If you’ve already accumulated RMB earnings, you can simply send your Chinese Yuan to your bank account in your home country.

Getting started with Wise is simple. Just install the Wise app from the App Store, Google Play or the Wise website. Join 16+ million people globally who enjoy the Wise service. Be financially secure and ready for quick and affordable internal money transfer!

This service is provided in partnership with a licensed third party payment provider in China.