Before You Go

China is becoming easier than ever to visit. More international travelers are coming back, visa-free policies have expanded for many countries, and mobile payment access for foreigners has improved a lot in recent years. (AP News)

1. Your Passport Is Everything

In China, your passport is not just for immigration. It is also your main ID for many travel services.

Hotels, train tickets, attraction tickets, and some booking systems are often linked to your real identity. For foreign travelers, that usually means your passport number. In many cases, you do not need to collect a physical ticket. You simply scan or show your passport at the entrance, train station, or hotel check-in counter. (China Survival Kit)

Keep your passport with you when you travel around China. It is your ID, your ticket, and your key to many services.

2. Set Up Alipay or WeChat Pay Before You Arrive

China is highly cashless. From restaurants and convenience stores to taxis, tourist attractions, hotels, and street food stalls, most payments are made by QR code.

For foreign travelers, the two most important apps are Alipay and WeChat Pay. Both support international cards in many cases, but you should set them up before you arrive, including phone number registration, identity verification, and card linking. (Trip.com)

This can save you a lot of stress after landing. Once your mobile payment works, daily life in China becomes much smoother.

One More Tip: Chinese Apps Can Be Hard to Read

Even after setting up payments, many useful apps in China are still mainly in Chinese. You may need them for ordering food, booking tickets, calling rides, reading QR-code instructions, or using local services.

That is where Gotcha Screen Translator can help.

Gotcha translates Chinese app screens in real time without switching apps, so you can understand payment pages, menus, booking forms, QR-code instructions, and travel apps more easily. Offline mode is also available for extra privacy when using sensitive apps like banking apps.

Travel through Chinese apps with less guesswork

Download Gotcha Screen Translator before your China trip.

Final Thoughts

Before traveling to China, prepare these two things first:

Bring your passport everywhere. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arrival.

Once these are ready, your trip will feel much easier, smoother, and more local.