如果你是第一次来中国，那可能会惊讶地发现，几乎所有人都在使用移动支付。

If you are planning to visit China for the first time, you may be surprised to learn almost everyone here uses their smartphone pay for most goods and services, which means cash isn’t convenient.

2005年常被视为中国移动支付行业元年，这是由于2004年底支付宝业务的推出。2013年，依托于微信生态系统的移动支付平台——微信支付推出。据统计，2016年，中国消费者通过移动支付平台花费了5.5万亿美元，大约是美国的50倍。到了2023年，中国消费者在五一假期期间使用支付宝进行的旅游相关消费，与2019年同期相比增加了70%。Adyen的研究显示，92%的消费者使用支付宝或微信中的数字钱包作为其主要支付方式。而随着人工智能技术的进步，人们还能够通过面部扫描来支付，成为一种新的移动支付方式。如今，中国的移动支付市场居全球首位。

In retrospect, 2005 might be identified as the first year in the country’s mobile payment industry, with Alipay coming online at the very end of 2004. WeChat Pay, a mobile payment platform built into the WeChat ecosystem, was introduced in 2013. In 2016, Chinese spent $5.5 trillion through mobile payment platforms, about 50 times the amount in the United States. In 2023, travel-related purchases by Chinese consumers using Alipay jumped 70% during the Labor Day holiday, compared with the same period in 2019, according to an Alipay statement. According to Adyen's research, 92% of consumers in China now use the QR-code-driven digital wallets Alipay or WeChat Pay. And advances in AI technology enable people to pay with a face scan as a new mobile payment option. China is now the world’s biggest mobile payment market.

在美国等一些发达经济体，信用卡仍旧是主要支付方式。在新冠疫情期间无接触支付的推动下，许多国家正加速发展其移动支付系统。由于不同国家的具体支付方式有所不同，那么，初来中国的外籍人士，应该如何开启在华移动支付之旅呢？看看新闻记者带你一起探探路。

In advanced economies like the United States, the primary method of payment is the credit card, while the pandemic has led many countries to improve their mobile money ecosystems due to a rise in contactless payments. The mobile payment services may vary from country to country. For foreigners who have never been to China, it's always better to set these things up before you travel. So we did some research for you... Here are some tips.

1、支付宝/微信直接绑定海外银行卡，进行电子支付

Link your overseas credit card to Alipay or WeChat

支付宝支持海外银行卡绑定

Alipay: it supports some of foreign credit and debit cards

从来没有来过中国的外籍人士，在本国的时候就可以尝试这么做，下载支付宝APP，选择绑定非中国大陆地区发行的VISA、Mastercard、Diners Club、Discover海外银行卡。

Foreigners who have never been to China can download the Alipay APP in their home country and link their overseas bank cards that are not issued in Chinese mainland. The issuers include VISA, Mastercard, Diners Club and Discover.

海外用户可以注册微信，如果已有绑定的中国的银行卡，就可以绑定非中国大陆地区发行的Visa、Mastercard、JCB海外银行卡

Wechat is a little more complicated: overseas users can register in the APP, but if they want to link an overseas bank card, they have to first bind a Chinese bank card to WeChat.

2、上海银行“华付通”，即时充值，便捷支付

TourCard from Bank of Shanghai

A mini-program available in Alipay or Wechat

来自上海的上海银行，有一项华付通卡“Tour Card”服务，是面向境外人士推出的境内移动支付服务。在入境前，可以先在本国绑定海外银行卡并提交申请。

If you don't have a Chinese bank account yet, a service called "Tour Card" offered by the Bank of Shanghai might worth a try. It is designed to provide mobile payment services for overseas travelers across the Chinese mainland just with their overseas bank cards. Before arriving in the Chinese mainland, foreigners can submit an application in their home country for linking their overseas bank card to "TourCard".

在下载并注册支付宝或微信后，可以通过小程序搜索获得华付通卡。随后，可根据页面信息完成个人信息验证和通过海外银行卡的账户充值。

After you've downloaded and registered Alipay or Wechat APP in your home country, as we just discussed, you can search "TourCard" in Alipay or WeChat mini-programs. Then, you can follow the guide to verify your personal information and top up money from overseas bank cards.

华付通目前支持Visa、万事达卡、大莱卡、JCB卡的充值，并在将来支持美国运通卡。

Currently, "TourCard" supports four card schemes: VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club International and JCB. It will support American Express in the future.

3、办理中国国内银行卡，刷卡支付

Chinese bank cards: These can be issued only upon application in person in China

中国五大银行支持外籍人士办理中国银行卡，本人持证件到相应银行柜台办理即可。

The big five banks in China support foreigners applying for Chinese bank cards, and they all require clients to go to the bank in person with relevant identification and paperwork.

4、直接使用海外银行卡？POS机还是一个好朋友

Use overseas bank cards directly?

Try POS machines

以上海为例，很多POS机可以接受主要海外发卡行的银行卡。

Apart from mobile applications, cash and POS machines are still used in China, like many other countries in the world.

（看看新闻Knews 吴旭童 陈彬）