The China travel apps you need, and what to set up before you fly

Which apps do you need for a China trip?

Most trips need only a handful of apps. Set up one or two payment apps (Alipay and WeChat), DiDi for taxis, Amap for directions, 12306 or Trip.com for trains and hotels, and a translator. Food delivery apps are optional. Mobile payment and mobile data underpin all of them, so sort those out first with the Alipay and WeChat Pay guide and the eSIM and SIM card guide.

Why Alipay and WeChat come first

Alipay and WeChat are more than wallets. Each hosts 小程序 (xiǎochéngxù), mini programs that open inside the app without a separate download: ride-hailing, metro QR codes, attraction tickets, restaurant menus and the immigration service's own tools. Once your card is linked and your passport verified, much of the trip runs from these two apps.

Two newer options are worth knowing about. TenPayGo, a standalone Tencent payment app for overseas visitors, launched on September 24, 2026 and accepts major international cards and Apple Pay. Nihao China, UnionPay's visitor app from December 2025, combines a prepaid wallet you top up by card with metro codes for 43 cities and real-time translation. Both are new, so keep Alipay or WeChat as your main way to pay.

Getting around: DiDi, Amap and metro QR codes

Ride-hailing, 网约车 (wǎngyuēchē), is the easiest way to cross a city when you can't read the street signs. China's official guide for foreigners lists three ways to book:

• The DiDi app (listed as DiDi-Greater China): register with your foreign number, link an international credit card, and choose Express, Taxi, Premier or Luxe.
• Alipay: open Transport, then Taxi, and enter where you are and where you are going.
• WeChat: open Me, then Services, then Mobility or Ride Hailing.

Amap has had a full English version for overseas users since January 2025, with English names for sights, restaurants and hotels. In July 2025 it added 14 more languages. Use it for walking, public transport and driving directions; it can also book rides from several platforms and shows the pickup point and fare estimate in English.

For the metro, Alipay's Transport section gives you a QR code for the city you are in once your passport is verified. In Beijing you can also tap an overseas Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express card at any metro gate. The DiDi guide and the metro guide cover both in detail.

Drivers often call or message to find you. The Ride-Hailing Pickup lesson prepares you for that call, including how to ask for a text message instead.

Trains, flights and hotels: 12306 and Trip.com

China Railway's 12306 English website and app are the official way to book trains in China. Register with your passport, then complete identity verification: the system checks your details automatically, or you upload a photo of your passport page for manual review. You can pay with Chinese or foreign bank cards or with mobile payment apps, and you enter the station with the same passport you booked with.

Trip.com sells trains, flights, hotels and airport transfers in English and takes international bank cards, which makes it a common choice for visitors. Whichever you use, book popular routes early, especially around Chinese public holidays. The high-speed train guide explains seats, stations and changes.

Food delivery and ordering at restaurants

The big delivery apps are Meituan and Taobao Flash Shopping. Both are mostly in Chinese, you sign up with an SMS code, and you pay through Alipay or WeChat Pay. This is the category where a Chinese phone number helps most, because the rider may call when they arrive. If an app insists on a local number, the No Chinese Phone Number lesson teaches you how to ask for another way to verify.

In restaurants, you will often be asked to scan a QR code on the table, which opens the menu inside WeChat or Alipay; you order and pay on your phone. Practice the words in the Menu, Ordering and Recommendations lesson, and read the food ordering guide before your first meal.

Translation and offline backups

Install a translator and download its Chinese language pack before you leave, so it still works when your data drops. Your phone's built-in translator, or a Chinese-made one such as Youdao or Baidu Translate, will do; Alipay and Nihao China also have translation built in. Point the camera at menus and signs, and type rather than speak in noisy places.

For the moments that matter most, prepared text beats live translation. The Chinese for Travel app has address cards and allergy cards you can show to drivers and waiters, along with phrases you can play aloud. Learning a few lines yourself also helps people be patient with you.

Your first hour in China: what to check on your phone

The arrivals hall is the best place to fix problems, because there is free Wi-Fi, staff who deal with visitors all day, and counters for SIM cards and cash. Before you leave the airport:

1. Get online. Switch on your eSIM or buy a SIM. If you need Wi-Fi first, Shanghai Pudong and Beijing Daxing let you log in with your passport.
2. Make a small test payment. Buy a bottle of water with Alipay or WeChat Pay. If your bank blocks it, you can sort it out now rather than in a taxi queue.
3. Add the city's metro code. In Alipay, open Transport, then City, and check the code for the city you are in.
4. Book your ride from the right spot. Larger airports have signposted ride-hailing pickup points, separate from the taxi rank. Follow the signs or ask staff before you book; the Leaving the Airport lesson has the questions to ask.

What should I set up before departure?

1. Install the apps at homeDownload everything from your usual app store before you go, and switch each app to English.
2. Set up paymentsRegister Alipay and WeChat with your home number, link two cards if you can, and finish the passport check.
3. Register for trainsCreate your 12306 account and complete passport verification early, in case it goes to manual review.
4. Set up ride-hailingRegister in DiDi or check that the taxi option works in Alipay, and save your hotel as a destination.
5. Sort out dataInstall a travel eSIM or plan to buy a SIM on arrival.
6. Submit your arrival cardFill in the online arrival card through the NIA website or app. The visa-free entry guide has the details.
7. Prepare offline backupsDownload the Chinese pack for your translator, save hotel addresses in Chinese, and screenshot your bookings and tickets.