What Should I Do If Alipay or WeChat Pay Doesn’t Work?

Category: Payments & Money  Reading Time: 4 min
Difficulty: Easy  Last Reviewed by EasyMate: 2026-08-26

Alipay and Weixin Pay, commonly known internationally as WeChat Pay, usually work well for foreign visitors after an eligible bank card has been linked.

However, a payment may occasionally fail because of an internet problem, a bank restriction, identity verification, the merchant’s QR code, or a temporary security check.

If your payment does not work, do not panic or keep trying repeatedly. Check the problem step by step and prepare another way to pay.

1. What Should I Check First?

Try the following steps in order:

1. Check your internet connection.
2. Confirm that the correct bank card is selected.
3. Check that the card has sufficient funds or available credit.
4. Look for a notification from your bank or payment app.
5. Close and reopen Alipay or WeChat.
6. Try the payment one more time.
7. If it still fails, use another card or payment method.

Repeated attempts may sometimes trigger additional security checks. If the same payment has already failed more than once, it is better to stop and try another method.

2. My Card Is Linked, but the Payment Is Declined

Successfully linking a card does not mean that every transaction will automatically be approved.

A payment may be declined because:

• Your bank blocked the overseas transaction.
• Online or international transactions are disabled.
• The card has insufficient funds or available credit.
• The transaction triggered a security check.
• Additional identity verification is required.
• The transaction exceeds a bank or platform limit.
• The merchant or service does not support the selected card.

First, try another linked card. If that does not work, contact your card issuer using the telephone number printed on the back of the card.

Explain that you are in China and are trying to make a legitimate payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay.

China’s official payment guide confirms that overseas visitors can link eligible international cards to Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Official information:

https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202404/11/content_WS6617c858c6d0868f4e8e5f4d.html

3. Why Doesn’t the Merchant’s QR Code Work?

Chinese merchants normally accept mobile payments in one of two ways:

• You scan the merchant’s QR code.
• The merchant scans the payment code displayed on your phone.

If scanning the merchant’s QR code does not work, ask the cashier to scan your payment code instead.

You can show the merchant this sentence:

可以扫我的付款码吗？
Kěyǐ sǎo wǒ de fùkuǎn mǎ ma?
Can you scan my payment code?

Some QR codes may be used for personal transfers rather than merchant payments. International cards are mainly intended for eligible merchant purchases, so payments to some personal collection codes may not work.

Official information:

https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-BankingServices/20231215/fe3a293d065f40e0a7f740aa88edb050.html

4. Why Can I Pay a Shop but Not Transfer Money to a Person?

This may not be a technical problem.

International cards linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay are mainly used for eligible merchant payments. Certain functions may not be available, including:

• Personal transfers
• Red Packets
• Wallet top-ups
• Cash withdrawals from the wallet
• Some Mini Program transactions

Therefore, being able to pay at a restaurant or shop does not necessarily mean that you can transfer money directly to another person.

Official information:

https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-BankingServices/20231215/fe3a293d065f40e0a7f740aa88edb050.html

5. What If Payment Fails in a Mini Program?

A normal shop payment may work while a payment inside a Mini Program fails.

Possible reasons include:

• The Mini Program does not accept overseas cards.
• Additional identity verification is required.
• Some services may require a Chinese mobile number.
• The particular transaction type is not supported.
• The internet connection or location service is unstable.

If this happens, try the service’s official app or website. You can also ask whether payment is available at a physical counter.

A Mini Program payment failure does not necessarily mean that your Alipay or WeChat Pay account has stopped working.

6. What If I Need to Pay Immediately?

If the problem cannot be resolved quickly:

• Switch from Alipay to WeChat Pay, or vice versa.
• Select another linked bank card.
• Ask whether the merchant accepts a physical international card.
• Use RMB cash.
• Ask the merchant whether another payment method is available.

Do not ask a stranger to make the payment for you, and do not exchange money through unofficial individuals.

China’s official guidance confirms that overseas visitors may use mobile payments, international bank cards and RMB cash.

Official information:

https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202404/11/content_WS6617c858c6d0868f4e8e5f4d.html

7. How Can I Get Help?

Alipay

Open Alipay and enter the Help Center or customer-service section. Search for the exact error message shown on the payment screen.

Official website:

https://www.alipay.com/

Because payment problems may be related to your individual account or transaction, the Help Center inside the Alipay app is usually more useful than the general website.

WeChat Pay

Open WeChat and look for Help Center or Customer Service under the payment section.

Tencent also provides an official English guide for international visitors.

Official guide:

https://www.tencent.com/welcome-to-china-easy-pay-with-weixin-pay/

Weixin Pay customer-service telephone numbers published by Tencent:

• 95017 within the Chinese mainland
• +86 571 95017 outside the Chinese mainland

Before contacting customer service, take a screenshot of the error message and record:

• The transaction time
• The payment amount
• The merchant’s name
• The transaction number, if available

Never give another person your payment password, SMS verification code, or complete bank-card information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Keep Trying If the Payment Is Declined?

No.

Try again only after checking the internet connection, selected card and bank notifications. Repeated attempts may sometimes trigger additional security checks.

Does a Failed Mini Program Payment Mean My Card Is Not Working?

Not necessarily.

The Mini Program may not support overseas cards even though the same card works for ordinary merchant payments.

Should I Prepare More Than One Payment Method?

Yes.

EasyMate recommends setting up both Alipay and WeChat Pay and carrying a physical international bank card and a small amount of RMB cash.

EasyMate Observation

In our experience, a failed mobile payment is usually a temporary inconvenience rather than a serious problem. The cause may be the bank, the merchant’s QR code, a Mini Program, the internet connection, or an additional security check.

The most effective preparation is not trying to predict every possible error. Instead, set up both Alipay and WeChat Pay before traveling and always keep another payment method available.

If one payment method fails, switching to another is usually faster than repeatedly attempting the same transaction.