Expat China

Home / Getting settled / Accommodation registration

Housing & arrival

Phone and Payments in China: A Setup Order for Foreign Residents

A suggested order for setting up a Chinese SIM card, bank card, mobile payment app and cash backup, based on Chinese government guidance.

2026-09-28 · Official sources reviewed

Set things up in this order: get a Chinese SIM card, decide whether you want a local bank card, register a mobile payment app and try binding a card, and keep a cash route available while you test it. That sequence follows the Government of China's Guide to Working and Living in China (2026 edition), which covers SIM cards, bank cards, mobile payments and RMB cash. Card brands, payment limits and charging standards vary between payment products, and the rest can change too, so treat the official text as a starting point and confirm current terms at the counter, with the bank, or inside the app.

Step 1: Get a Chinese mobile number first

Take a passport or a Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card to the service office of a telecom operator such as China Telecom, China Mobile or China Unicom to apply for a SIM card and activate mobile communication services in China. Doing this first helps later steps, since registering a payment app starts with a mobile number.

Step 2: Consider a bank card

A commercial bank outlet is where you apply for a bank card, and documents such as a passport or a Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card are used for this. Ask the specific outlet what it requires rather than assuming another branch's document list or someone else's experience applies to you. If you plan to rely on an overseas-issued card instead, read the next section before counting on it.

Step 3: Register a mobile payment app and try binding a card

The guide describes WeChat, Alipay and UnionPay apps. Register with a foreign or Chinese mobile number as prompted, then follow that product's own bank-card binding prompts. Where an overseas-issued card is bound, the issuer has to verify it.

  • The scope of card brands, payment limits and charging standards varies with different payment products, and each product sets these out in its own terms.
  • Registration, verification and binding follow the app's prompts rather than one fixed procedure.
  • A separate official Guide to Payment Services in China (2026) describes several categories of payment services, which points to a range of options rather than one method working everywhere.

Attempt card binding soon after registration instead of on the day you need to pay, so there is time to deal with a failure. Check the product's terms for the brand, limit and fee information that applies to your card.

Step 4: Keep a cash backup

Overseas visitors to China can exchange foreign currencies for RMB cash at outlets of commercial banks, money changers and self-service currency exchange machines at international airports, land ports, ports and other entry ports, as well as other places in China marked with an Exchange logo. RMB cash can also be withdrawn using international bank cards at ATMs. Availability is worth confirming on site. Keep at least one non-app payment route open while you are still testing card binding.

When registration or binding fails

For failed binding, contact both the payment product's customer service and the issuing bank. The two sides of the problem differ: the app handles registration, prompts and product terms, while the issuer handles verification of an overseas-issued card.

  • If registration stalls: check the number and identity details against the document you used, and follow the app's prompts.
  • If card binding is rejected: ask the app's customer service and the card issuer which side is declining the transaction.
  • If a brand, limit or fee is unclear: check the terms shown in the product, since these vary by product.
  • If an app is unusable on a given day: use the backup method rather than assuming the failure is permanent.

Treat one outcome as a single data point rather than a rule, and confirm your own details with the provider.

The sequence in short

  1. Take a passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card to a telecom operator's service office and apply for a SIM card.
  2. If you want a local bank card, go to a commercial bank outlet and ask that outlet about its requirements.
  3. Register a payment app with a foreign or Chinese mobile number as prompted, then follow the product's bank-card binding prompts.
  4. Keep cash or another confirmed payment method available, and check exchange and ATM availability on site.
  5. If binding fails, contact the payment product's customer service and your issuing bank.

This article is general information for foreigners settling in China, not legal, financial or immigration advice for an individual situation. For related steps, see the settling-in guides.

Official sources