Travel Notes
決済

微信支付（WeChat Pay）開通の全手順（海外ユーザー向け）

  • Passport with your name matching the bank card exactly
  • An international bank card that can receive SMS (Visa/Mastercard has the highest success rate)
  • Stable internet (complete the first card binding on hotel Wi-Fi to avoid data interruptions)
  • WeChat version 8.0+ (older versions have a different card-binding interface)

Before you start: make sure your passport name matches exactly what’s on your bank card. Even a middle name mismatch can cause verification to fail silently — you’ll get an error with no clear explanation.

Binding Your Card

  1. Open WeChat → “Me” (bottom right) → Services → Wallet
  2. Tap “Bank Cards” → Add Bank Card
  3. Enter your card number (issuing bank is auto-detected)
  4. Fill in cardholder name (English, matching passport), expiry date, CVV
  5. Enter the verification code sent to your card’s registered phone number
  6. Set a 6-digit payment password

Open WeChat → Me → Services → Wallet → Bank Cards → Add a Card. The form asks for card number, cardholder name, expiry, and CVV. Use your passport name exactly. After submitting, WeChat sends a verification SMS to your card’s registered phone number — this is the step most people fail at if their overseas number isn’t reachable in China.

Common failure reasons:

  • Phone number can’t receive SMS in China (test before your trip)
  • Name format mismatch (e.g. Last Name / First Name order issues)
  • Some prepaid/virtual cards aren’t supported

First Payment Test

After binding, test immediately with a small purchase — a bottle of water at a convenience store works perfectly. Don’t wait until you’re at a busy tourist attraction ticket counter to discover something isn’t working. The test payment also “activates” your account for higher transaction limits.

Foreign cards typically start with a single transaction limit of ¥6,500 and a monthly cap around ¥50,000 — more than enough for most trips. You don’t need to raise the limit unless you’re making large purchases like electronics or jewelry.

Handling Refunds

Refunds go back to your original card, usually within 1–5 business days. You can track the status in WeChat: Me → Services → Wallet → Bills → find the transaction → check refund status. If the refund doesn’t appear after 7 days, contact the merchant first — WeChat Pay itself rarely holds refunds.

  • Your card stays linked — use it directly on your next visit
  • WeChat “change” balance: withdraw to foreign card incurs a fee; spend it before departure
  • If not using for a long time, disable any auto-renewal subscriptions

When you leave China, your card stays linked — convenient for your next visit. If you have leftover balance in WeChat’s “change” wallet, spend it before departure. Withdrawing it to a foreign card incurs a fee (currently 0.1%, minimum ¥1).

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