A few apps. A much easier China trip.

The small app kit worth preparing

• Core: Alipay. Prepare it for everyday merchant payments and useful mini apps, including DiDi.
• Core: WeChat. Have a way to message local contacts; set up Weixin Pay as an additional payment option if eligible.
• Core: Amap and offline translation. Save your first destinations and download translation languages before departure.
• As needed: Trip.com or Railway 12306. Pick a booking route for intercity trains, rather than registering for everything.
• Optional: the standalone DiDi app. You may not need it if the mini app works for your account.

Install through your device’s official app store or the provider’s own download page. Check the developer, not just the icon; avoid download links in unsolicited messages or unofficial APK mirrors. Store names, languages and availability can differ by country and device.

Alipay and WeChat: payments and messages

Alipay: prepare your first payment route

Shanghai’s official guide says visitors can register Alipay with a foreign phone number before arriving and link a foreign bank card. Switch to English, enter your number with the correct country code, complete the verification prompts, and add an eligible card in the app. Use your own account and card details. [1]

At a merchant, you may scan their QR code and enter the amount, or show your payment code for them to scan. Confirm the merchant and amount before approving. A linked card is not the same as a funded wallet balance, and a merchant payment is not the same as a person-to-person transfer. Do not assume every feature or personal QR code accepts an overseas card.

Get Alipay: official iPhone listing (developer: Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd.) or start at Alipay’s official website for its download entry point.

WeChat: communication first, Weixin Pay if eligible

WeChat is useful for messages with people you meet and for services inside mini programs. Download from WeChat’s official site, select your country code and register with a number you control. Complete the security checks presented by the app before you travel; receiving an SMS alone does not mean every account check is complete.

Tencent’s visitor guidance supports registration with an international phone number and linking eligible international credit or debit cards to Weixin Pay, the mainland payment service encountered within WeChat. Follow the payment setup prompts and keep your passport available: Tencent lists it among the documents visitors can use for identity verification. [2] [3]

What a foreign card does—and does not—solve

Support for a card network does not guarantee your particular issuer, card, merchant or transaction will work. Account checks, issuer authentication, spending limits, fees and the selected service can all matter. Read the current payment screen, keep access to your bank’s verification method, and resolve any setup rejection through the app or your bank—not by sending passport photos or SMS codes to a stranger.

You may be asked for identity details as you use more services; limited low-value payment access should not be mistaken for full verification. A passport-verified payment account also does not automatically satisfy a separate mini app’s identity requirements. If a service requires a mainland ID or local number and offers no foreign-passport route, use another official booking channel or ask the provider for help. [4]

Keep a physical bank card and some RMB cash as backup rather than relying on one phone. For the detailed card-network and operation-specific caveats, read our China payment guides. Make a small, genuine merchant purchase after arrival to check your setup; adding a card beforehand is not a payment test.

Amap: find the right place

Amap, also called Gaode, is the map app in this kit. Its provider listing includes walking, driving and public transport navigation, with English among the supported languages. Start with the AMap Global official iPhone listing; check that the developer is AutoNavi Information Technology Co. Ltd. Android users should use their official store or the provider’s download route linked by that listing, and check the available language in their version. [5]

Before departure, save your hotel, arrival airport or station, and the first places you will visit. Keep each hotel’s Chinese name, full Chinese address and phone number in a local note or screenshot as well as in the app. Ask the hotel to confirm them if the booking only shows an English translation.

Check the exact branch and entrance, not just a similar English name. A saved pin is useful, but it is not an offline map or a guarantee of live route information. Save a screenshot of the station exit and final approach; download any offline maps your installed version offers, and check what works without a connection before relying on it.

DiDi: a ride without another download

Start with DiDi inside Alipay or WeChat. Shanghai’s official guides describe both routes, including an English interface; you may not need a separate ride-hailing download. Open it ahead of time, choose English where available, and check the login, phone verification and payment prompts for your account. [1] [6]

Use the hotel’s Chinese address, inspect the destination pin, and choose the pickup point carefully—particularly at an airport or large station. Review the car category and displayed fare terms before requesting. A payment card linked elsewhere in the host app is not proof that this ride can be charged successfully.

Match the license plate and vehicle with the booking before getting in. The official guide describes translated driver messages and confirmation using the last four digits of your registered phone number. Know which number you used, keep it reachable, and use the app’s contact and safety tools if something does not match. [6]

Trip.com or Railway 12306?

Trip.com: an optional booking intermediary

Trip.com is an option if you want hotels, flights and train bookings in a familiar English-language travel app. Its provider listing advertises English-language customer support and multiple payment methods. It is a booking platform, not China Railway’s official app. Compare the final total, any service charges or optional extras, and the change and refund conditions before paying. [7]

Get the official Trip.com iPhone app, or use Trip.com’s official website for bookings and its app download links. Enter each traveler’s passport information accurately and keep the booking confirmation offline.

Railway 12306: book directly with the railway

China Railway’s official English website and Railway 12306 app are the direct alternatives. The English FAQ says valid foreign passports are accepted and describes passenger identity verification before booking. Begin registration and passenger setup before you need a ticket; follow the current email, phone and identity-verification prompts rather than assuming an overseas SMS number alone completes the process. Use the official website’s app download entry point to avoid similarly named resellers. [8]

With either route, check the exact station, date, passenger name and passport number, and confirm that a ticket has actually been issued. Bring the original passport used to buy it. A screenshot of an itinerary is a useful reminder, not a substitute for the required travel document; the railway explicitly says its itinerary sheet is not a ticket. Allow time for station security and identity checks. [8]

You do not need both apps simply to take a train. Choose the booking route whose verification, payment and support arrangements work for you; if online identity checks cannot be completed, the railway also lists station ticket counters as an official purchase channel.

Translation that survives a lost connection

Google Translate is useful here only with preparation. Use Google’s official app download links before departure. Download Chinese and English language packs where offered on your device, check that they show as downloaded, and try translating a short typed sentence in airplane mode. Google documents offline language downloads, but not every language or feature is available offline. [9]

Do not count on Google’s website, online translation, voice features, or Google Play being reachable on a mainland connection. Internet access depends on your network and plan; an installed app is not a guarantee of access to Google services. Our China travel eSIM guide explains overseas routing, data-only plans and what to check with your provider.

Save essential phrases as screenshots or local notes, not only in a cloud account. Keep a hotel address card in Chinese and, if relevant, an accurately translated dietary or allergy explanation prepared before travel. For a serious allergy or medical need, have a qualified person check the wording rather than trusting machine translation alone.

Your pre-departure checklist

1. Download and sign in at home. Use official sources, set English where available, and finish the checks that can be completed before arrival. Do not wait until you need a ride or payment.
2. Keep your registered number reachable. Enter its country code correctly and ask your carrier whether it can receive verification SMS in China and what roaming costs apply. Keep access to bank authentication too. A data-only eSIM does not receive ordinary SMS sent to your home number.
3. Prepare cards and identity documents. Link an eligible card, complete requested passport verification through the official app, and check for unresolved account notices. Carry your original passport for travel; do not publish its scan in a shared trip note.
4. Save your first day offline. Keep the Chinese hotel name and address, contact number, booking details, arrival route, station names and translation phrases on the phone itself. A paper address card is a useful phone-battery backup.
5. Prepare a working data plan. Check mainland coverage, app access and how to keep your home line available without accidental data roaming. Use the eSIM preparation guide for the details.
6. Check the essentials after landing. Once connected, open your map, message a contact, and try a small merchant payment before relying on the phone for a whole day. Keep cash, a bank card and the hotel’s contact details available if an app fails.