Alipay, DiDi and Amap in China: a visitor's setup guide

To get around mainland China as a visitor, link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay before you fly, then use DiDi, Alipay or Amap to hail a taxi and Amap to find your way. All three need mobile data the moment you land, and the SMS codes they send go to your home number. The steps below follow that order. Apps change often, so follow each app’s own screens and check it for limits and fees. For plans, see our China eSIM plans.

Some tips below come from the airdatalink team’s own experience. They are marked “In our experience” and are not official rules.

How do I pay in China as a visitor?

Link an international Visa or Mastercard to Alipay (or WeChat Pay). Alipay’s own App Store listing says foreign visitors to China can connect their credit card to pay at merchants across the country, and the State Council’s English guide says foreign users can link international credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard to both apps. Alipay app listing State Council payment guide Set it up at home over Wi-Fi, so you can fix a failed link before you travel:

1. Install Alipay and switch the app to English if it doesn’t open that way.
2. Create your account with the phone number you will keep with you, so its SMS code reaches you.
3. Add your card in the app’s bank card section and complete the identity check the app asks for; have your passport ready. The People’s Bank of China says it asked Alipay and Tenpay to streamline card binding and simplify identity verification. PBOC briefing
4. Carry a second card and some cash in case a card is declined.

Alipay’s listing also says the app is not designed for foreign users in their home country or anywhere outside China, so expect to make your first real payment after you land. Cash is still legal tender in China. Do not rely on a figure for fees or limits from an old article; open the app to see the current ones.

Can I use DiDi, and how?

Yes. DiDi’s App Store listing says inbound visitors can use the app in English and register with their own (non-Chinese) mobile number, pay with international bank cards, message drivers with English–Chinese translation, and reach English customer service in the app at any hour. DiDi app listing China Daily’s English taxi guide also lists Alipay’s Transport section, then Taxi, with foreign bank cards supported. China Daily taxi guide

In our experience, once the card works in Alipay you can also use DiDi through Alipay, so linking the card first is the step that unlocks both.

1. Link your card in Alipay (see above), or add it in the DiDi app.
2. Install DiDi and register with your phone number, or open DiDi or Taxi inside Alipay. Allow location access so the app can find you.
3. Enter your pick-up point and destination, then choose the service you want.
4. Before you get in, check the licence plate and the driver’s details against the app. China Daily gives the same safety advice.
5. Pay in the app. Do not pay the driver separately unless the app tells you to.

What is the 4-digit number a DiDi driver asks for?

In our experience, a DiDi driver who asks for four digits wants the last four digits of the phone number on your DiDi account. The driver uses it to confirm they have the right passenger. A 2023 report in The Paper (澎湃新闻) describes the same check from the other side: a Shanghai ride-hailing driver’s app would not let him start the trip until he entered the last four digits of the phone number on the passenger’s account. The Paper, 25 July 2023

Suppose your DiDi account uses the sample number +60 12-345 6789. You would say “6789”. If you booked through Alipay, it is the number on the account you booked with. In that report the passenger had booked with an old number and could not remember its last four digits, so check which number your account uses before you travel.

Does Amap (Gaode) work for visitors?

Yes. Amap is a Chinese map and navigation app with a version for overseas users. Amap’s launch notice of 11 July 2025 says that, on top of Chinese and English, it added 14 languages, including Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese. Overseas users download it from the App Store or Google Play, and get the same driving, walking, cycling and public transport navigation as local users. It also has an English ride-hailing function that books a car across several platforms in one tap and shows the pick-up point and a fare estimate. Amap launch notice A Shanghai government notice adds that its visitor services cover routes to a saved hotel and that the main services work without logging in. Shanghai notice

In our experience, Amap only worked for us once we had arrived in China. So install it at home, choose your language, save your hotel, and expect to start using it after you land. Don’t make it your only way to find your hotel on the first day: keep the hotel’s name and address in Chinese characters in a note, as our China eSIM guide suggests.

What do I need on my phone when I land?

You need mobile data from the moment you land and your home number for SMS codes. Alipay, DiDi and Amap all need a connection, and the codes that confirm your Alipay or DiDi account go to your home number by SMS.

1. Buy and install a travel eSIM for data; check its plan page for when it starts. See our China eSIM plans.
2. Keep your home SIM on for calls and SMS, with its data roaming off, so the eSIM carries the data. Keeping your Malaysian number for bank TAC shows the dual SIM settings.
3. Remember a data-only eSIM has no number of its own. Data-only eSIMs: calls, SMS and WhatsApp explains what that means for codes.
4. For WhatsApp, Google and VPN questions on a travel eSIM, read our China eSIM guide instead of guessing.

At a glance

Task	What to use	Do before you fly	Source of the advice
Pay in shops	Alipay (or WeChat Pay) with a linked Visa or Mastercard	Link the card over Wi-Fi; have your passport ready	Alipay app listing; State Council guide
Hail a taxi	DiDi app, Alipay (Transport, then Taxi) or Amap’s ride-hailing	Register with your phone number; link the card	DiDi app listing; China Daily; Amap notice; DiDi through Alipay is our experience
Four digits for the driver	Last four digits of your DiDi account’s phone number	Check which number your account uses	Our experience; The Paper (2023)
Find your way	Amap, in English, Malay or another of its languages	Install, pick your language, save your hotel	Amap notice; Shanghai notice; “works once you’ve arrived” is our experience
Back-up	Second card, some cash, hotel address in Chinese	Pack and write them down	State Council, PBOC, UK FCDO

Common questions

Can I use Alipay in China with a Visa or Mastercard?

Yes. Alipay’s App Store listing says foreign visitors to China can connect their credit card, and the State Council’s guide says foreign users can link international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to Alipay and WeChat Pay. Carry a second card and some cash in case one is declined. The UK government notes that outside major cities cards aren’t always accepted.

Can I use Alipay outside China?

Not as a foreign visitor. Alipay’s App Store listing says the app is not designed or intended for use by foreign users in their home country or anywhere outside China.

Can foreigners use DiDi in China?

Yes. DiDi’s App Store listing says inbound visitors can use the app in English, register with their own mobile number, pay with international bank cards and chat with drivers with English–Chinese translation. China Daily also lists Alipay’s Transport section as a way to hail a taxi. Check the app for current fees.

Why does a DiDi driver ask for four digits?

In our experience it is the last four digits of the phone number on your DiDi account, which the driver uses to confirm they have the right passenger. A 2023 report in The Paper describes a ride-hailing driver whose app would not start the trip until he entered those digits. DiDi does not publish this as a rule, so treat it as what to expect, not a guarantee.

Is Amap available in English or Malay?

Yes. Amap’s 11 July 2025 launch notice says its version for overseas users supports Chinese, English and 14 more languages, including Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese, downloadable from the App Store and Google Play. In our experience it only worked for us once we had arrived in China, so install it at home and expect to use it after you land.

Do I need my home number in China?

Keep it on for SMS, with data roaming off, because the codes from Alipay and DiDi go to that number. A data-only travel eSIM carries the data but has no number for codes. See keeping your Malaysian number for bank TAC.

Do WhatsApp and Google work on a China eSIM?

Our China destination page says they usually work on the two China eSIMs without a VPN. That is not a guarantee. Read the China eSIM guide for what we can and can’t say.