A few weeks in China · Checklist

Going to China?
Set up these 8

For people who live in the US and are spending a few weeks in China. This is not a packing list. It is a checklist for the digital side of daily life: calls, internet, payments, rides, food delivery and trains.

Go straight to the checklist ↓

BACKUPSafety and fallbacks

3 topics03

LIVESix everyday apps

3 topics02

PAYPaying and cash

4 topics01

CONNECTPhone and internet

3 topics

Prepare from the bottom up: be reachable first, then be able to pay, then get the everyday apps working, and finally leave yourself fallbacks.

If you read only one part, read this

The checklist

Confirm each item before you leave. With all eight done, landing is mostly uneventful.

01
A Chinese SIM
The number is active and can receive texts and calls. Check that your phone is unlocked and has a physical SIM slot; if not, bring a spare phone.
02
A US SIM
Bank verification codes and Wi-Fi Calling already tested in the US. In China, do not leave it as the default data line.
03
A VPN that works in China
Already connected successfully on your phone and personal computer, with the installers saved offline. US roaming is only the fallback.
04
WeChat Pay + Alipay
Both signed in, identity verified, linked to a Visa or Mastercard with no foreign transaction fee, and used for one real payment.
05
A debit card for cash
Schwab Investor Checking or Fidelity CMA. PIN confirmed, and only a limited balance in the account.
06
Six apps
Amap, DiDi, Meituan, Trip.com (Ctrip), Railway 12306, and WeChat / Alipay. Passengers verified in 12306.
07
Two credit cards on different networks
Ideally one Visa and one Mastercard, at least one earning 2% or 2x on everything.
08
An address in Chinese
Where you are staying, down to the compound, building, unit and door number, saved as text you can paste.

CONNECT

Phone and internet

After landing, people in China can reach you and your US services still work.

01.01

Chinese number

Keep a Chinese number that is actually in service

If you expect to come back, paying a few yuan a month for an active number that can receive texts is the best-value preparation there is. A great deal in China depends on a local number.

First check that your phone is unlocked and has a physical SIM slot. Without one, do not assume a Chinese carrier will set up an eSIM for your phone; a spare phone that takes a physical SIM is safer.
Before leaving China, call the carrier (10086 for China Mobile, 10010 for China Unicom, 10000 for China Telecom) and ask for the cheapest regular plan available for your number. The common ¥8 tier is not the same in every province or for every number.
Do not confuse this with the roughly ¥5 "suspend and keep the number" service. That keeps the number but, while suspended, it cannot reliably receive verification codes or a driver's call.
Turn on automatic top-up, and sign in to the carrier's app now and then from the US to check the account is not overdue or suspended.
If you have no Chinese number and hold a foreign passport, take the passport to a carrier-operated store after landing to get one.

01.02

Getting past the firewall

If you bring a computer, a paid VPN should be your main route

Google, YouTube, Gmail and many other foreign services are blocked in China. A Chinese SIM, home broadband or hotel Wi-Fi gives you cheap, plentiful data; a paid VPN handles access to foreign sites; US roaming is only for when the VPN fails.

Three to five days without a computer: just use US roaming. Roaming data goes through your home carrier, so foreign sites work.
A week or more, with video or work: carry the heavy traffic on a Chinese network, and buy a paid VPN in advance that covers both phone and computer.
Install it, sign in and pay before you leave, and save the installers offline. Do not find out in China that the provider's own site is blocked too.
Keep US roaming or a travel eSIM as the backup. Do not use it for hours of YouTube, tethering or system updates.
Download offline maps, flights, hotel addresses and bank phone numbers ahead of time. When you are really offline, these help more than one more VPN.

01.03

US verification codes

Your US number is mainly for verification codes and your bank

Keep both SIMs on: the Chinese number for calls in China, the US number for bank texts. US roaming data is the backup when you are offline; do not set it as the default line by mistake.

Test bank verification codes and Wi-Fi Calling while still in the US. China should not be the first place you turn them on.
Add an authenticator app, a passkey or offline recovery codes to important accounts. Do not let text messages be the only way in.
Save the international customer service number from the back of each card in an offline note, so you can find it even if the phone is lost.

What to buy

Setting up a VPN

The client is only the tool installed on your device. Speed and reliability come from the line you subscribe to. Pick a free client first, then buy a line by data allowance. Do not mix up the two payments.

The lowest-budget starting point

Karing on iPhone, Clash Verge Rev on a personal computer, and a small trial of FSCloud's cheapest plan.

The clients are free and the line costs about ¥13 a year, but a low price and a large allowance do not prove reliability. If you already bought Shadowrocket, keep using it: it is currently a one-time $2.99 purchase on the US App Store, and there is no need to reconfigure just to move to a free client.

Install a client first: do not pay again for the app

Device	Install	Why	Note
iPhone / iPad	Karing	Free; imports Clash and other subscriptions, so a new user pays nothing for the client	If you already own Shadowrocket, keep using it. Migrating to save $2.99 is not worth the effort
Android	Karing or Hiddify	Free and open source; both import the common subscription formats	Download from the official GitHub or app store
Personal Mac / Windows	Clash Verge Rev	Free and open source; rule-based routing and subscription management suit a computer better	Download only from the official GitHub Releases
Personal computer, alternative	Karing or Hiddify	Easier if you want the same interface on phone and computer	A free client does not mean a free line
Work computer	Your company's VPN	Only if the company explicitly allows its use in China	Do not install Clash, Karing or a personal proxy configuration yourself

Then buy a line: a cheap plan is enough for a short stay

Provider	Public price	Who it suits	How to choose
FSCloud	From ¥13 a year; its public page says about 100GB a month on the small plan	Ordinary browsing and occasional YouTube; the low-cost candidate	One subscription imports to phone and personal computer. Buy only the smallest plan first to test
小鲤鱼 (Xiaoliyu)	¥6.8 a month for 1000GB; ¥13.6 for two months	Lots of video, frequent tethering to a computer	Its public address page and FSCloud's are maintained by the same GitHub account, so the two are not a fully independent backup pair
魔戒 (Mojie)	¥19.9 for 130GB that does not expire	A second provider as backup, used slowly over occasional visits	The data pack has no time limit. If the price has changed, check the checkout page before buying
一元机场 (Yiyuan)	Usually sold on a very low annual price; current data and price are whatever the checkout page shows	A cheap backup for people willing to tinker	Its public plans are hard to verify consistently. Do not make it your only line on a first trip
梅花 (Meihua)	A one-click software or hardware product, at a clearly higher price	People who do not want to configure subscriptions and will pay for support and convenience	If you are willing to import a subscription, there is no need to buy it for this trip

These are all small providers, and a low price says nothing about lasting reliability. Their sites are in Chinese, and plans and addresses can change at any time: go in through the official address page before you leave, buy the smallest plan first, and do not prepay for years. This page earns no referral fees.

Choose by usage: three reference sets

Need	Set	Total cost	Verdict
Lowest budget	Karing + Clash Verge Rev + FSCloud small plan	About ¥13 a year	About 100GB a month, usually enough for browsing and occasional video. Test before relying on it
Lots of video	Karing + Clash Verge Rev + Xiaoliyu 1000GB	About ¥13.6 for two months	1000GB a month, better for long hours of video on a computer
A real backup	FSCloud small plan + Mojie 130GB	About ¥32.9 in total	Buy from the two separately. Switch to Mojie when the main line goes down

Do it in the USInstall from the official App Store or GitHub, pay, import the subscription and actually connect once. Save the installers and the official backup addresses offline.
Protect the subscriptionThe subscription link works like a password. Do not post screenshots of it, do not use a shared Apple ID supplied by a seller, and do not install root certificates or configuration profiles of unknown origin.
Save dataTurn on rule-based routing: Chinese apps and sites connect directly, and only foreign services such as YouTube and Google go through the proxy.
Keep a fallbackUS roaming or a travel eSIM is for buying a new plan when the line fails, receiving verification codes and reaching your bank. Not for hours of video.

Follow local law, the services' terms and your employer's device policy as well. Work computers in particular: without explicit permission, do not install or import a personal proxy.

PAY

Paying and cash

Small payments go on a US card and earn rewards, large ones avoid the 3% fee, and cash is there when a payment fails.

02.01

Default payment setup

Link a card in both WeChat Pay and Alipay; carry one Visa and one Mastercard

China runs on two phone wallets, WeChat Pay and Alipay, and both accept foreign cards. If you have a Chinese bank card, put it first. If not, foreign cards plus cash cover most of a short stay.

For the default US card, choose an everyday card with no foreign transaction fee. Fidelity Rewards Visa at 2% is a simple baseline. If you already hold a Venture or Venture X, use its 2x; if you hold a Robinhood Gold Card, its 3%.
Link a card in both WeChat Pay and Alipay and make one small test payment in each. When a merchant does not accept a foreign card through one wallet, the other may work.
Linking a card directly inside an app is a different payment route from paying through WeChat Pay or Alipay, and the purchase category may differ too. Make one small test payment each in Meituan, DiDi and 12306, and choose a default card only after the charges post.
A foreign card that works for merchant purchases does not necessarily work for transfers, red envelopes, topping up a balance or every personal QR code.

02.02

The ¥200 rule

Where it is reasonable to split a bill, keep each payment at ¥200 or less

As of October 2026, WeChat Pay charges no service fee on a foreign-card payment of ¥200 or less; above that it may charge 3% on the whole amount. On Alipay, likewise check what the payment screen says before paying.

Restaurants, supermarkets, malls: before paying, simply ask "Can I pay in two parts?" For example ¥360 as ¥180 + ¥180.
Goods on Meituan, JD.com and similar: where items can naturally be ordered separately, check out separately, but count the repeated delivery fee.
Group travel or several train tickets: where they can naturally be bought separately, pay separately. Paying with an international card directly in 12306 is not subject to the wallets' ¥200 rule, so there is no reason to split and risk adjacent seats, changes or refunds.
Apply coupons and platform credits first to bring the final foreign-card charge to ¥200 or less. What counts is the amount the payment screen finally charges the card.
Linking a foreign card in WeChat for the first time brings one more benefit: Tencent announced in May 2026 that, from the first transaction, international card fees are waived for 90 consecutive days, up to ¥1,000 a day. The announcement gives no end date, so whether it still applies is whatever the payment screen shows.

02.03

Large payments

Above ¥200, choose in this order

Chinese card or renminbi balance → international card entered directly in the app → physical card at the merchant → splitting the bill → cash → and only then accepting the 3%.

Hotels, flights, Trip.com or Meituan orders: compare final prices first, then check whether an international card can be entered directly with no surcharge. Do not buy a dearer ticket for the rewards.
Buy train tickets in 12306 with an international card directly where you can. It does not go through WeChat Pay or Alipay, so the wallets' ¥200 / 3% line does not apply.
Trip.com also sells train tickets. A US card charged directly there may post as a travel agency, but whether that earns 2x or 3x depends on the merchant category code (MCC). Look at the first charge before counting on a multiplier.
For a large in-person purchase, ask politely about paying in parts. If the merchant declines, switch to Chinese payment, a physical card or cash.
When the amount is modest and time matters more than the fee, paying the 3% is fine. If you know you are buying convenience, it is not a mistake.

02.04

Cash from an ATM

Cash is not the main method, but carry some

Bring a Schwab Investor Checking or Fidelity CMA debit card and withdraw renminbi at a large bank's ATM. When the machine asks about currency, choose RMB and decline dynamic currency conversion (DCC).

Withdraw with a debit card only. Do not take a cash advance on a credit card.
If the ATM shows a US dollar amount or a "guaranteed rate", decline the conversion and continue in renminbi.
Keep only a limited balance in the debit account. Unlock the card before withdrawing and lock it again straight after.
You do not need much cash. Enough for a day or two of taxis and meals and an emergency deposit will do.

Choose the route, then the card

What to pay with in each situation

Linking a card directly in an app and paying through WeChat Pay or Alipay lead to different fees and purchase categories. The order below balances total price, success rate and rewards.

Situation	First choice	Why	If it fails
Restaurants / delivery	A dedicated Visa or Mastercard linked in Meituan; test a small amount first	Small charges may also earn 3x dining, and above ¥200 it may avoid the wallet's 3%	If linking fails or you do not want a card on file, use WeChat Pay or Alipay, keeping each payment at ¥200 or less
Trains, including high-speed rail	International card directly in 12306	The wallets' ¥200 rule does not apply; travel data points on Chase Visa / Mastercard	Compare on Trip.com; a Chinese card
Rides	Card linked directly in DiDi	Travel / transit data points	Rides through Amap, paid with WeChat Pay or Alipay
Flights	Compare the final price on the airline's site, Meituan and Trip.com	A fare difference is usually worth more than 1x–3x in points	Pick whichever takes a foreign card directly with no surcharge
Hotels	International card on the hotel's site or a platform	Chain co-branded cards are the clearest case; on platforms check the total and the MCC first	Card at the desk, WeChat Pay / Alipay, or cash
JD.com	WeChat Pay at ¥200 or less; split large orders by item	Simple and low risk	Test a small JD.com gift card; it covers only some JD-sold items and may trigger risk controls
Other small in-person payments	Foreign card via WeChat Pay / Alipay	The widest coverage	The other wallet; cash
Other large payments	Chinese payment → card at the merchant → reasonable splitting → cash	Each step lowers fees and the chance of failure	If you are in a hurry, accept the 3% the payment screen shows

Getting the rewards right

Which US card should you bring?

Start from the cards you already hold, then assign them by payment route. Do not just memorise multipliers: whether the card is linked directly in an app decides both the fee and whether the MCC survives.

One card

Fidelity for simplicity; CSP if you collect points

Fidelity earns 2% on everything, with no categories to think about. If you already hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP), give it Meituan dining, 12306, DiDi, Trip.com and hotels first, and accept that small QR-code payments may earn only 1x.

"One card" here means your main card. Still keep a backup card on a different network somewhere else. With a Robinhood Gold Card or a BofA Premier tier, your base rate is higher.

Two cards

CSP + a Mastercard with no FTF

CSP handles Meituan dining and travel purchases; the Mastercard is the backup on a second network. If you already hold a Citi Strata Premier, bring it. Otherwise pick from the cards you have; there is no need to open one for a single trip.

If no annual fee and steady returns matter more, Fidelity + Autograph is also a good pair, but both are Visa, so a Chinese card or cash has to be the network-level backup.

Cards worth bringing, with CSP in the same table

Card	Current rate	Cost	Good for	Note
Fidelity Rewards Visa	2% on everything	$0 / no FTF	WeChat Pay, Alipay and purchases with no recognisable category	The one-card answer for most people
Robinhood Gold Card	3% on all eligible purchases	Requires Gold membership / no FTF	All ordinary spending	Bring it if you have it; do not open one for a short trip
BofA Premium Rewards	Up to 3.5% travel and dining; 2.62% other	$95 / no FTF	Those already at a BofA Premier rewards tier	Without the Premier boost it is only 2x / 1.5x
Chase Sapphire Preferred	3x dining; 2x travel	$95 / no FTF	12306, DiDi, Trip.com, hotels, dining charged directly	Transferable UR points and good travel protections; wallet-aggregated charges may earn only 1x
Wells Fargo Autograph	3x travel, transit, dining	$0 / no FTF	12306, DiDi, Trip.com, hotels, dining charged directly	Categories depend on MCC; wallet payments may earn only 1x
Citi Strata Premier	3x hotels, flights, travel agencies, dining, supermarkets	$95 / no FTF	Trip.com charged directly, hotels, dining; a Mastercard backup	Rail and DiDi are not in its stated 3x categories
Capital One Venture / X	2x on everything	$95 / $395 / no FTF	People who prefer transferable points	Spending in China alone does not justify the annual fee

Which bank has the best exchange rate?

Do not choose a bank over a fraction of a percent in the rate.

The renminbi conversion depends mainly on the Visa or Mastercard network, the date the transaction is processed and whether the issuer adds a foreign transaction fee (FTF). There is no US bank with a dependably "best rate". What makes a real difference is a 3% FTF, the wallet service fee and DCC.

Choose RMB / CNY for every payment. Do not let a merchant or ATM convert to USD.
Use only cards that explicitly say no foreign transaction fee.
Visa and Mastercard may differ slightly day to day. Unless the amount is large, reward rate and whether the payment goes through matter more.
Refunds are converted again on the day they are processed. A slightly different dollar amount from the original charge is not necessarily an extra fee.

Which payment routes tend to earn bonus rewards?

Payment route	What to expect	Reliability	How to pay
Foreign card via WeChat Pay / Alipay	The card's base rate, 2%–3%; occasional data points of dining multipliers on Visa / Mastercard	High (payment) / medium-low (category)	For small and in-person payments. Do not assume it is always 1x, and do not assume dining is always recognised
Visa / Mastercard linked in Meituan	Data points of 3x on dining cards such as CSP	Medium	Community data points show dining recognised fairly well, and it can avoid the wallet's 3%. Test a small amount and turn on charge alerts
International card in 12306	Autograph 3x; CSP 2x; CSR 3x; BofA up to 3.5%	Medium-high	Travel data points on Chase Visa / Mastercard. You may have to enter the card and pass 3-D Secure each time
Card linked in DiDi	Autograph 3x; CSP 2x; CSR 3x; BofA up to 3.5%	Medium-high	Travel / transit data points. A directly linked card usually keeps its category better than a wallet
Charged directly on Trip.com	Autograph / Citi 3x; CSP 2x; CSR 3x	Medium	Check for a foreign-card surcharge and the final price first, then the travel agency MCC
Card charged by the hotel	Autograph / Citi 3x; CSP 2x; CSR 3x	High	Have the hotel charge in RMB directly: not through a wallet, and not in USD
Card charged by the restaurant	Amex Gold 4x; Autograph / Citi / Savor / CSP 3x	Medium	Only counts if the merchant posts under a dining MCC. Amex is less widely accepted

The most useful thing to do: after landing, make one small first purchase each in WeChat Pay, Alipay, Meituan, 12306, DiDi and Trip.com. When the charges post, note the merchant name, the category and the rate you actually earned, then decide which card to default to. Other people's data is only a starting point. Your own statement is the answer.

LIVE

Six everyday apps

With these installed, maps, getting around, food, lodging and train tickets are essentially covered.

03.01

Which apps

WeChat / Alipay + Amap + DiDi + Meituan + Trip.com + 12306

This set covers the great majority of a short stay. Add Taobao or JD.com only if you actually need to shop online.

WeChat / Alipay: in-person payments, and the mini programs inside them that hospitals and all sorts of local services use.
Amap (高德地图): directions, bus and subway, and saving the Chinese addresses of home and hotel. Google Maps does not work in China without a VPN.
DiDi (滴滴): ride-hailing. Best with a Chinese phone number, and save a Chinese description of your pick-up point in advance.
Meituan (美团): food delivery, restaurants, pharmacy, groceries and local services. To earn dining rewards, link one dedicated credit card directly, test a small amount and turn on charge alerts. Keep WeChat Pay or Alipay as the alternative.
Trip.com (called Ctrip, 携程, in China): hotels, flights, airport transfers, and train tickets too. For large orders, prefer an international card entered directly.
Railway 12306: the official app for all trains, including high-speed rail. Sign in and verify passengers in advance, and pay with an international card directly by default.

03.02

Phone and address

What goes wrong most is not the app. It is the rider not finding your door

Wherever a driver, a rider, a hotel or a hospital may need to contact you, give a Chinese phone number. Save your address in full, in Chinese.

Write the address at least down to the compound, building, unit and door number, plus one line naming the nearest gate or landmark.
Prepare three phrases you can paste: "我在×号门" (I am at gate ×), "请放前台" (please leave it at the front desk), "我马上下来" (I am coming down now).
DiDi does allow sign-up with a foreign number, but do not assume the driver's masked relay number can reliably call a +1 number.
Foreign travellers can use an email address in 12306. For ordinary hospitals and food delivery, plan on a Chinese number.

03.03

First day

Off the plane, do things in this order

Get online first, then confirm your address, then test payments. Do not wrestle with every account at once in the airport.

Turn on roaming or your travel eSIM and copy the Chinese address of the hotel or home.
Check that the Chinese SIM receives texts and calls. If you have no number, go to a carrier-operated store later.
Call a car with DiDi or Amap, and connect to Wi-Fi once you arrive.
Make one real purchase of ¥10–¥50 with each of WeChat Pay and Alipay.
Withdraw about ¥500–¥1,000 in cash as a reserve, then lock the debit card again.

These are enough

Six apps that cover most of a short stay

App	What it is for	What to set up before you go	Where people actually get stuck
WeChat / Alipay	Nearly all in-person payments, mini programs	Link a foreign card in both; keep each payment at ¥200 or less where you can	Personal QR codes, transfers and top-ups may not accept foreign cards
Amap	Maps, bus and subway, addresses	Save home and hotel in advance	Do not save only the hotel's English name
DiDi	Rides	Chinese number; foreign card or wallet	Driver call-backs and airport pick-up points
Meituan	Delivery, restaurants, pharmacy, groceries	Chinese number; link a Visa or Mastercard directly and test a small amount	Card security, address, reaching the rider, password-free charges
Trip.com (Ctrip)	Hotels, flights, train tickets, transfers	International card directly for large orders; test the MCC first	Add-on services may be included; multipliers are not guaranteed
12306	All trains, including high-speed rail	Verify identity in advance; international card directly	Adjacent seats, changes and refunds

Anything missing? Install Taobao or JD.com only if you need to shop online. Shared bikes are usually reached through an Alipay or WeChat mini program. For a hospital appointment, search for the hospital's official WeChat account or mini program first.

BACKUP

Safety and fallbacks

If the phone, the network or a card fails, the whole day is not lost.

04.01

Preventing fraud

Link a credit card if you like; do not link your main debit card everywhere

Use one dedicated credit card with no foreign transaction fee for Chinese apps, with an alert on every charge. Keep the ATM debit card locked when not in use.

Linking a card directly in Meituan, DiDi or 12306 may avoid the wallet fee or preserve the purchase category, but link only the dedicated credit card, and do not leave a card on file in apps you are not using.
Turn off password-free payment, automatic renewal and pay-later features you do not need.
Meituan has had disputes over card security in the past. If you link a card directly for the fee saving or the extra rewards, turn on instant alerts, and remove the card once the trip is over and refunds are complete.
If you see an unexpected charge from Meituan or another app: lock the card first, then screenshot the order and the statement description, and contact both the platform and the card issuer.
Do not rush to delete the account. Orders, signed-in devices and charge records are evidence for a dispute.

04.02

Backup set

A real backup has to route around the original failure

Two cards in the same wallet are not a complete backup. Neither are two devices that depend on the same VPN.

One Visa and one Mastercard, kept in different places.
A Chinese SIM and foreign data: two different networks.
WeChat Pay and Alipay, plus cash.
Bank phone numbers, recovery codes and copies of documents saved offline, not only on your main phone.

04.03

Before flying back

Wait for deposits and refunds before unlinking anything

Hotel deposits, ticket refunds and cancelled orders may post after you have left. Leave the Chinese number, the original card and the accounts alone for now.

List every deposit and refund still outstanding, and screenshot the order number, amount and promised date.
Check that Meituan, DiDi, hotels and mini programs have no automatic charges still active.
Once every refund has arrived, remove directly linked cards you no longer need. Your usual travel card can stay in WeChat Pay and Alipay.
Move the Chinese number back to a cheap active plan, and make sure it will not be suspended for non-payment before your next visit.

Look again before you leave

Rules that change

Fees, carrier plans and what each app supports all get adjusted. Official rules, product pages and community tests are kept separately here, and no single experience is written up as a permanent rule.

Show 29 references

Last checked: September 1, 2026; the WeChat Pay fee rules and the annual fees of the cards in the table were checked again on October 6, 2026. For payments, the payment screen is the authority; for VPN plans, the purchase page.

Final check

The Chinese number takes calls,
the US number gets verification codes,
the phone reaches foreign sites,
WeChat Pay and Alipay work, and there is cash in your wallet.

Going to China?Set up these 8

A Chinese SIM

A US SIM

A VPN that works in China

WeChat Pay + Alipay

A debit card for cash

Six apps

Two credit cards on different networks

An address in Chinese