Make a list while the old number still works
Before changing a Chinese mobile number, list the accounts that show it as a login name, contact number, payment verification number or recovery method. Start with your bank and payment wallet, then check government services, transport, delivery and any account you actually use. This is a continuity checklist, not a mandatory order set by a Chinese authority. Each account provider controls its own change and recovery process.
Check the bank number separately
A number registered with a bank may serve a different purpose from a number shown in a shopping or payment app. For a third-party payment number mismatch, ICBC's guidance on a reserved-number mismatch directs customers to a branch with a valid identity document, asks them to explain that the problem arose in third-party payment, and says the branch calls the reserved number to check ownership. It warns that independent local branches may have different requirements. Those details describe ICBC, not every bank.
If your bank is different, ask its official service channel which number is registered for your card, mobile banking and third-party payments; whether each can be changed online; which identity document and access to the old or new number you need; and how you can confirm the change. Do not assume a phone-number change in one app changes the bank's record.
Check the wallet's own route
Alipay's account self-service page lists changing a bound mobile number and a separate lost-phone security route. Its mobile account help section distinguishes changing a number, unbinding it and changing a mobile login name. These are different account actions. Check which applies to your account in the current official help or app, and save a safe way to reach support if you lose the old SIM first. A different wallet needs its own instructions.
Run an account-by-account check
- Write down the accounts tied to the old number. Check each account's profile and security settings while you are signed in.
- For each provider, find its current official change instructions and confirm whether the old number, new number or an in-person identity check is required.
- Update one account at a time and test login or a harmless account-access step with the new number. Keep the old number active until the providers you rely on confirm their changes, if your mobile plan permits.
- Keep a private record of which provider confirmed the change. Do not store passwords or verification codes in that list.
If you have already lost the old SIM
Use the affected provider's official recovery or support route. Explain which account number is inaccessible and what identity document you used when registering. For a bank, contact that bank or visit a branch rather than treating wallet help as a bank recovery channel. For a public-service app, contact its administering authority. Avoid sharing a one-time code with anyone who claims they can change every account for you.
There is no single cross-provider switch for these accounts. Confirm the result inside each provider's official account or with its staff before relying on the new number for a consequential transaction.