How to pay (or receive money) with Alipay

The application is very intuitive and the first useful buttons will be “Scan” and “Pay”. The “Scan” button is for scanning QR codes: when paying at some stores and restaurants they’ll ask you to scan their QR code on your phone to then enter the amount to pay along with your password to enable payment.
The “Pay” button, instead, will make a bar code appear on the display of your smartphone to show in restaurants and scanner-equipped stores for payment: it’s a little like at supermarkets, your bar code will be scanned and without even having to enter your password the money will be directly transferred from your account.
It’s incredible how everything happens with a simple “scan”, even at the market, here in China, they almost never use the dear old banknotes and the 1 Kuai coins already seem like antique relics. But be careful because this method of payment can really cause you to lose track of the money you spend: each time I find it emotional to see that the payment went through without a problem!
This app has many other interesting uses, for example, the “Collect” button will open a new QR code to show people who owe you money. You can specify the amount that they owe you by clicking on “Specify an Amount” before having them scan your code or letting them enter the amount they have to pay you back.

 

 

Alipay’s other main functions

With the Alipay app you can also open a chat with friends: clicking on “Friends” will open up a page with your friends on Alipay, to add new friends it works similar to “Wechat”, just scan the QR code of the person you want to add to your page. This chat is especially used for transferring money long distances by using the “Transfer” button inside the chat.
It seems a long time ago when I never had cash to repay my friend’s money lent to buy a gift or a dinner: now there’s no excuse so long as my bank account isn’t in the red.
Proceeding on to explore other functions of the app, if you click on the “Me” button you can control your profile: inside our profile (a more sore point) clicking on “Transactions” we can see a history of transactions on Alipay, with a list of all the payments made.
The “Balance” button, still inside the profile page, indicates how much money is in your Alipay account: note that the application doesn’t tell you how much money you have available on the credit card tied to Alipay, but only the money you have available in your Alipay account, a little like “WeChat Pay” by Wechat. For example, money sent from friends is collected in your app account.
Money can also easily be transferred from your Alipay account to your credit card, by first clicking on “Balance” and then “Withdraw”, or vice versa, on the same screen, clicking on “Top Up” you can transfer money from the card to Alipay; a smart solution for keeping better control over your expenses with this application, since at present you can choose payment from Alipay or directly from the credit card.

Other interesting functions of Alipay

The above-listed are just the primary functions of this app, but Alipay is also quite useful for lots of other reasons: through the application, you can take advantage of the “Didi Taxi” button for reserving and calling a taxi and then pay for it automatically with Alipay once you finish your ride, just indicate where you are and where you want to go in the app: thanks to a geo-locator like Google Maps the app will put you in contact with the nearest taxi.
With the same application it is also possible, conveniently from home, to buy airline tickets, movie or theater tickets or even have food sent home with Take Out, known in China as 饿了吗 (è le ma), which literally means “are you hungry?”
Opening the Take out category on Alipay you can see which restaurants and taverns are closest to you, find good sushi in the area or just satisfy a craving for Bubble Tea that’s the latest rage in China. After choosing the drink or dish to add to your cart, you can move on to payment, if it’s the first time you’re ordering with this application you’ll be asked to confirm your cell number with a code sent via SMS and insert your home address.
The app will lead you with a step-by-step map to your Bubble Tea or Chicken McNuggets down the street, your only job will be to respond to the messenger that will let you know that he’s arrived with dinner. There are numerous functions of Alipay: just one application substitutes at least ten, for example you can also use the Bike Sharing service.
Moreover, you can pay for a ride on the metro with the Alipay app: say goodbye to tickets that you can’t find in your pockets or bag when it’s time to leave and those long waits at the machines to get those worn-out plastic cards.

 

Frequently asked questions

In what countries is Alipay available?

The Alipay platform is available in over 56 countries and regions. That includes: Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong and more… What’s even better is that the Alipay app is available in Chinese and English.

 

What exchange-rates are used for cross-border payments?

Exchange rates can be viewed via text prompt on the payment page or bill details.

 

Do I need to pay additional fees for the cross-border payments?

No extra fees will be charged by Alipay+.

 

What currencies are supported by Alipay?

Dozens of currencies including U.S. Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Great Britain Pound, Canada Dollar, and Australian Dollar are supported on Alipay. There is an international payment service, known as the Cross-border Website Payment Solution, provided by Alipay.

 

How is the process to sign up with Alipay?

After downloading the Alipay app, signing up, and linking an international bank card of major card networks, overseas travelers can start their mobile payment journey in China and pay like a local.

 

What are eligible international cards for Alipay?

 

 

Disclaimer

This website is not in any way affiliated with Alipay. Since it deals with a “sensitive” app (it in fact requires that you enter your personal bank information), use it cautiously and at your own risk. China Fish will not be liable for any risk, loss, damage caused by using Alipay.