TenPayGo for Foreign Visitors: Paying in China Without WeChat or Alipay

Foreign patients flying into China for a consultation, a checkup, or surgery run into the same wall in the first 24 hours: almost nothing takes a foreign credit card. Hospital billing desks, pharmacy counters, the tea shop in the lobby, the taxi outside — they all expect a QR code scan. If you have never set up WeChat Pay or Alipay, that first week can turn into a scavenger hunt for cash.

TenPayGo is Tencent's answer to exactly that gap. It is a standalone payment app built for overseas visitors, and it went live in September 2026 specifically for people who land in China without a WeChat or Alipay account. No Chinese phone number. No Chinese bank account. Just an email address and a foreign card.

Here is the whole thing, step by step.

What TenPayGo Is, and Who It Suits

TenPayGo is a payment app Tencent launched for overseas visitors coming to China. Its main audience is first-time, short-stay travelers who have not registered WeChat or Alipay yet and need a way to scan and pay. You register with an email address, link an eligible overseas credit card, and then pay at mainland Chinese merchants that accept the matching payment method — either by scanning their collection code yourself, or by showing a payment code for the cashier to scan.

The payment capability itself is provided by Weixin Pay, and the official site states that no Chinese mobile number or WeChat account is required.

On a short trip, if what you mostly need is to settle bills at restaurants, convenience stores and shops, you can work through this article to install TenPayGo, register, and link your card, then make one small test purchase after you arrive. Visitors who already have a supported Apple Pay card or an overseas e-wallet can also use the corresponding payment methods offered inside the app.

Source: Tencent's official TenPayGo product screenshots published on Google Play. The image shows the payment method entry points; the actual interface depends on the version you install.

If You Need More Travel Functions, Set Up WeChat or Alipay First

If your itinerary also involves riding the metro, buying high-speed rail tickets, hailing a ride, or booking attractions, it is better to install and register WeChat or Alipay first, and then link your overseas card inside that app. Those two apps cover far more travel services — transport, ticketing and everyday spending can all be handled through their own entry points or mini programs. Specific transport services and mini programs still have to be activated one by one, following the prompts on each page.

• WeChat guide: register with your overseas phone number, link a credit card, then move on to WeChat Pay, contacting hotels and drivers, and mini programs for ride-hailing and attraction bookings.
• Alipay guide: finish registration and card linking, then learn about paying merchants, city bus and metro ride codes, rail ticketing and ride-hailing.

Visitors who can already pay through WeChat or Alipay should simply keep using the accounts they have. TenPayGo is better suited to people who have neither account and want to solve short-trip scan-and-pay first; menu translation and conversation translation features can be explored as needed once you are using it.

Step 1: Install From Official Channels

Download and install before you leave, if you can. That way, if you hit a store-region or device-compatibility problem, you still have time to sort it out. Accessing Google Play from inside China can also be affected by network conditions.

Installing on iPhone

1. Open the official App Store link above, or search for TenPayGo in the App Store.
2. Check the name and the developer, tap Get, and install following the on-screen prompts.
3. Open the app. At the time of checking, the App Store listed the interface language as English, so the English entry names are kept below for easy cross-reference.

Installing on Android

1. If you can use Google Play, install from the official store listing.
2. If you cannot, open the TenPayGo official website in your phone browser and find Download Android APK. Depending on your device and browser, the download button may first open a panel offering both APK and Google Play.
3. After downloading, open the package following the Android prompts; if the system asks, temporarily allow the current browser to install the file, then switch that permission off once installation is complete. The exact setting names depend on your phone's system.
4. Open the app, and keep using the same official channel for future updates.

If the store says your region or device is unsupported, first check your store account's region and your system compatibility. Do not casually borrow someone else's store account just to install a payment app. If you genuinely cannot install it for now, you can set up Alipay or WeChat Pay instead.

Step 2: Register With Your Own Email Address

TenPayGo's software agreement explicitly requires you to register with an email address in your own name, and one email address can only register one account. Use a mailbox you can access both during the trip and after you get home, so that logging in, verifying and checking transactions stays easy.

1. Open TenPayGo and go to the registration or login screen.
2. Enter your own everyday email address and request the verification email as prompted.
3. Open your inbox, find the TenPayGo verification code or verification notice, and return to the app to complete verification.
4. Read and accept the relevant service agreements, and finish the account setup the current version requires.
5. Go to the Pay screen and confirm you can see payment method entries such as Bank Card before you go any further.

Once email registration is done, continue activating payments as the pages direct. The payment agreement explains that activation may require your real name, bank card details and similar information, verified by the relevant institutions. If you are asked for additional identity details, submit your own genuine information through the app's current screens.

Your issuing bank may require SMS verification. A data-only travel eSIM gives you a connection, but if the bank sends a code to your original phone number, that number needs to be able to receive SMS.

Step 3: Link Your Overseas Credit Card

Check the card conditions first

Use a bank card issued in your own name by a bank outside mainland China. The official site currently shows these card networks: UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Discover. Whether a credit or debit card can actually be linked still depends on the card, the issuing bank, the account status and the app's current supported range.

UnionPay cards must also meet the "issued outside mainland China" condition. Before linking, you can check cross-border online transaction settings in your banking app and confirm you are able to complete the issuer's verification.

Source: the "Pay with bank card" illustration on the TenPayGo official website, showing the supported card network range. Individual cards still have to be verified through the app and the issuing bank.

Linking steps

1. On the Pay screen, open Bank Card and enter the add-card flow.
2. Enter the card number, expiry date and CVV / security code; complete the cardholder or other details the current screen asks for. The agreement explicitly lists card number, expiry and CVV as information collected.
3. If the screen asks, verify your email again. The payment activation flow may also require verifying the email registered with the card — read the prompts carefully to tell account-login verification apart from issuer verification.
4. Complete whatever authentication your issuing bank requires, such as approving in the banking app, an SMS code or a 3-D Secure page. The method differs from card to card.
5. Set a payment password as TenPayGo prompts, and complete any required identity verification.
6. Return to the Pay screen and check the card status. After you arrive in China, make one small purchase at a merchant that supports the method, and confirm the app, your bank records and the merchant's receipt all agree.

We could not find an officially published, screen-by-screen walkthrough of the full card-linking form, so this section describes the order of operations rather than fixing the button names, field order or password length of each dialog. Never send your card number, security code, verification codes or payment code to any individual offering to "handle it for you".

Step 4: Pay at a Merchant

Option one: you scan the merchant's collection code

1. Open the scan entry in TenPayGo. Official screenshots show it at the bottom right of the Pay screen; the position may shift between versions.
2. Allow camera access when prompted, and scan the merchant's WeChat Pay collection code.
3. Check the merchant name. If you need to enter the amount yourself, confirm the RMB amount with the staff first.
4. Choose an available payment method, and check the amount, service fee and any other payment notices.
5. Complete payment verification as the app and your issuing bank require.
6. Wait for a success result, and ask the staff to confirm they have received the money before you walk away.

Source: Tencent's official Google Play screenshots. The scan target is a merchant collection code; the example QR code in the image is illustrative only.

Option two: the merchant scans your payment code

1. Open the entry in the app that displays your payment code; Tencent's official instructions call this Show payment code / Pay code.
2. Confirm the correct payment method is selected, then show the dynamic barcode or QR code to the cashier.
3. Let the cashier scan it, then confirm the payment following the prompts on your phone.
4. Check the payment result, and confirm the checkout has been completed at the register.

Source: Tencent's official Google Play screenshots. A payment code is a payment credential: show it only when you are buying something, and never screenshot it and send it to anyone.

Choosing the right QR code at restaurants and on transport

A merchant that supports WeChat Pay may still fail to complete this particular transaction because of its own collection settings, your card, or your account verification status. TenPayGo's payment service is aimed at qualifying merchant purchases; it does not support person-to-person transfers, collecting money or red packets. If you are handed a personal QR code, do not assume an overseas credit card will work there.

The code on a restaurant table may also be the entry point for an ordering mini program. Follow the table sign to open the menu in WeChat, Alipay or Meituan; if you want to pay with TenPayGo, ask the staff whether they can offer a supported merchant collection method instead.

Metro gates need a ride credential supported by the local operator — you cannot tap a shop payment code at the gate. Whether a transport service is available has to be confirmed separately inside the app.

Using TenPayGo for Medical Bills and Clinic Visits

This is where a medical trip differs from a sightseeing trip. Hospital payment counters in China are almost entirely cashless, and the international patient center will usually take you through a WeChat Pay merchant flow rather than a card terminal.

A few practical points from the payment rules above:

• Large bills may hit limits. A deposit for surgery, an implant package or an inpatient prepayment is far bigger than an everyday restaurant bill. Ask the hospital's international office in advance which channels they accept, and bring a second card plus some RMB cash as backup.
• Do not pay an individual's personal QR code. TenPayGo rules out person-to-person transfers, and intermediaries who ask you to transfer money to a personal code are a red flag. Pay at the hospital's official counter or through the official collection account it gives you.
• Keep a record for insurance and reimbursement. Transaction records in the app show time and amount; save them alongside the hospital's invoices. See our guide on insurance and reimbursement for how to assemble that paperwork.
• Sort out your own daily spending separately. Pharmacy runs, convenience stores, food delivery near the ward and taxi fares are exactly what TenPayGo handles well. Keep your payment setup working for the small stuff so you are not queueing at an ATM while a nurse is waiting.

If your treatment plan spans several weeks or you will be moving between cities for follow-up appointments, the ride and rail services in WeChat and Alipay are worth setting up — TenPayGo is deliberately narrower.

Apple Pay on iPhone and Overseas E-Wallets

If you already have Apple Pay set up, TenPayGo's official site confirms Apple Pay as a payment method, so you do not need to key in card details again inside TenPayGo. You can call Apple Pay during the payment flow where the app offers it, check the card and the amount, then authorise it as your system requires. The cards and scenarios that actually work depend on the current screen.

To pay, first scan the merchant's code or open the supported payment flow in TenPayGo, then call Apple Pay from that screen to authorise.

Visitors who already use a supported overseas e-wallet can open E-Wallet to see the available options. Link it as the page directs; when you pay, TenPayGo hands off to the relevant wallet app for authorisation. Fees, charges and verification prompts also have to be checked inside that wallet. There is no need to register an unfamiliar new wallet just for this credit card guide.

Fees, Exchange Rates, Limits and Refunds

Read the fees and limits before you pay

TenPayGo's payment agreement leaves the card-linking service fee standard to the page prompts, notices and announcements shown at the time of use, and we could not find an official fixed rate table that applies to every account. Do not transplant WeChat Pay's or Alipay's RMB 200 threshold, 3% rate or promotional offers onto TenPayGo — the rules are not interchangeable.

Before paying, look at the amount and the service fee for this transaction. When using an overseas e-wallet, also look at that wallet's own charges. The final billing currency and the conversion result on your bank statement are determined by your issuing bank, which may also levy its own foreign transaction fee.

Spending limits are likewise set by the account and the transaction screen, and may be affected by verification status, the transaction scenario, risk controls and the card issuer's rules. For larger hotel, shopping or medical spending, confirm the payment method with the merchant in advance and prepare a backup channel.

Checking transactions and handling refunds

Use the transaction history inside the app to check payment status, time and amount, and compare it against your bank or wallet records if needed. Returns, cancelled hotel bookings and the like are handled first by the merchant or the booking platform — TenPayGo is the payment channel.

Once a merchant refund succeeds, the money may go straight back to the original bank card or overseas wallet. The payment agreement also states that any user service fee already charged on that transaction will be returned. Fees charged separately by your bank, exchange-rate differences and the actual time it takes for funds to arrive should be checked with your issuing bank or wallet provider.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The verification email never arrives

Check the spelling, your spam folder and your mailbox's blocking rules, and make sure you can open that mailbox normally during the trip. Retry after the wait time shown on the page; if it still fails, contact official support. Do not treat "only a certain kind of email provider works" from an old guide as the current rule.

Card linking fails or a payment is declined

Re-check the card number, expiry date, security code and whatever else the screen requires, and look for a pending confirmation request or a decline notice in your banking app. Confirm the card was issued by a bank outside mainland China, belongs to you and is permitted for these transactions. If the bank has declined it, contact the issuer; if the app reports a data or account issue, use TenPayGo's support channel. If you are in a hurry, switch to your backup payment method.

The app says the payment failed but your bank says it was charged

Check the TenPayGo transaction history first, and ask the merchant to verify whether they received the money. Bank notifications and app results can fall out of sync; while the outcome is unclear, do not keep re-paying the same bill. Save the time, amount, merchant and transaction reference, and verify through official support.

A service is missing, or old screenshots do not match

Update the app, and check when the screenshot was published and what device it was taken on. TenPayGo's store update history already notes adjustments to its interface and services. The illustrations in this article are official product imagery rather than a transaction-by-transaction test on a live account, so do not treat the layout of an older version as a fixed rule.

Contacting official support

The support channels listed on the TenPayGo official website are:

• Email: tenpaygo_support@tencent.com
• Phone: +86 571 95017; the payment agreement also lists 95017 and online customer service
• Service hours shown on the site: Monday to Sunday, 09:00–21:30 China time, UTC+8

Say whether you are stuck at registration, card linking, payment or a refund, and have the transaction reference and a screenshot of the error ready with sensitive details masked. Before sending anything, re-check the contact details on the official site or in the app.

A Pre-Departure Check

• Install the official version, finish your email login, and keep that mailbox accessible while you travel.
• Confirm your own bank card or wallet is activated, and that you can still receive whatever verification your issuer requires.
• Get familiar with both entries — scanning a merchant code and showing your payment code — and make one small test purchase after you land.
• Prepare another working payment method, plus a little RMB cash.
• Save the official support details, and keep your account and original payment channel available until a refund has fully cleared.

When you are arranging meals, shopping and transport in cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai or Beijing, it makes sense to prepare your payment setup alongside the city's transport guide. Ride codes, attraction bookings and hotel reservations each need to be confirmed separately.

Official Places to Verify

• TenPayGo official website — payment methods, the official Android download channel, accessibility and support information.
• Apple App Store: TenPayGo — developer, iPhone compatibility, languages and update history.
• Google Play: TenPayGo — the official Android package, release notes and the source of the operational screenshots in this article.
• TenPayGo Payment User Service Agreement — card eligibility, payment activation, service scope, limits, fees and refund rules.
• TenPayGo Software License and Service Agreement — email registration and software usage terms.

Information in this article was verified on 1 October 2026. App interfaces, supported cards, e-wallets, fee rates and transport services may change; when you activate or pay, the current official pages are the reference.