Living Abroad Life in China

Does Apple Pay work in China? How to add Alipay to Apple Wallet in China?

Lily Li
Lily Li
02.02.24
Read time 3 minutes

One of the two most popular digital payment methods in China, Alipay can be an essential for any expats working or studying in China. If you're moving to China and start thinking about your life there, you might need to know how to add Alipay to Apple Pay.

Being an Apple product user, you’ll likely continue to purchase apps or games from the App Store, and make use of Apple Music and iCloud+ subscriptions, even in China. So you’ll probably wish to add Alipay, your Chinese digital wallet, as a new payment method to your Apple ID. But it is rather complicated.

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Table of contents

Add Alipay to Apple Pay in China for expats in China

Can foreigners use Apple Pay in China? Yes, they can. Expats can use Apple Pay for in-store shopping and in-app purchases¹ in mainland China on compatible iPhone and iPad models using iOS 11.2 or later².

However, to access apps in China and make purchases from the App Store, you need to change the country/region of your Apple ID to China and add a new payment method for China (such as Alipay, Wechat Pay or a Union Pay bank card).

Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to change your Apple ID country or region to China and how to add Alipay to Apple Pay³:

  1. Open the “Settings” on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap your name, and select “Media & Purchases”.
  3. Tap “View Account”. It may ask you to log in.
  4. Tap “Country/Region”.
  5. Tap “Change Country or Region”.
  6. Select China as your new country or region, and review the “Terms & Conditions”.
  7. Tap “Agree” in the upper-right corner of your screen, then confirm by tapping “Agree” again.
  8. Select Alipay as the payment method and enter your Alipay payment information and billing address, then tap “Next”. And you need to follow the prompts to complete the Alipay payment authorisation setup.

Note: Before you update your location to China, make sure you have spent your store credit or any balance kept on your Apple ID, canceled your subscriptions, and completed any memberships, preorders, rentals of movies, or Season Passes³.

Can I add Alipay to Apple Pay as an Alipay international user?

For Alipay users outside China, it is not possible for you to add Alipay to Apple Pay, as Apple support Alipay as a payment method only in mainland China and Hong Kong⁴.

For example, in the United States, the payment methods that you can use with your Apple ID only include Apple Card, Apple Pay, Apple Cash, most international credit and debit cards, PayPal and Apple Account balance⁴.

Add Alipay to Apple Pay in Alipay HK version

If you are using Alipay HK version, plus your Apple ID Country/Region is in Hong Kong, you can follow the step guide to add Alipay HK as the payment method to your Apple Pay⁵:

  1. Open the “Settings” on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Click your name, then click “Media & Purchases”.
  3. Select "View Account." You may be prompted to use your Apple ID to log in.
  4. Select “Manage Payments”.
  5. Select “Add Payment Method”.
  6. Enter your Alipay HK account details, then tap “Done”. You may be asked to follow the prompts to complete the Alipay payment authorisation.

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Source：

  1. Apple Pay: Where to Use
  2. Apple Support: Places that support Apple Pay
  3. Apple Support: Payment methods that you can use with your Apple ID
  4. Apple Support: Change your Apple ID country or region
  5. Apple Support (HK): Add a payment method to your Apple ID

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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