Recently, the travelchina community on Reddit has shared some exciting news: WeChat Pay has partnered with Apple Pay to offer more convenient payment options for non-Mainland China users. This collaboration means that WeChat users verified with non-Mainland identification documents, as well as unverified users, can now use WeChat Pay with the bank cards stored in their Apple Wallet. Additionally, users with specific bank cards, such as the Apple Card or the US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card, can enjoy extra cashback benefits.

Source：here

Details of the Partnership

According to Keixiong, a user from the travelchina community, users can simply go to “Me” – “Pay and Services” in WeChat, tap on the “Wallet” in the upper right corner, then click on “Payment Settings” at the bottom and toggle on Apple Pay. However, this partnership currently does not support American Express, UnionPay International, or bank cards issued in Mainland China. Peer-to-peer transfers and the Hongbao (red envelope) feature are also not supported. Moreover, a 3% service fee will be applied to transactions exceeding 200 RMB.

User Feedback

Another community user, radio4dead, added that users can also directly add their foreign bank cards by selecting “Bank Cards” on the Wallet screen. Meanwhile, monikamarta inquired whether the feature would work for accounts registered with non-Chinese numbers but verified as Mainland users. Keixiong replied that if users verify their accounts using a Chinese passport (not a Mainland ID card), they should also see the Apple Pay option.

Significance of the Partnership

This collaboration between WeChat Pay and Apple Pay offers a more convenient payment choice for non-Mainland visitors traveling to Mainland China, addressing the challenges they face in using mobile payments within the country. It also reflects WeChat Pay’s efforts to expand into international markets and improve user experiences.