China Transit Guide

Apps to Install Before a China Trip (2026): Payments, Transport, Trains and Paperwork

Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06

Apps to Install Before a China Trip

You don't need a phone full of new apps to visit China, but a few make the difference between an easy trip and a frustrating one. Many services also run as mini programs inside Alipay or WeChat, so two apps can cover a lot. Set everything up at home, on Wi-Fi, with your passport to hand.

Checked on 6 October 2026. App features change often. Download from your phone's official app store.

The short list

What for App or mini program Why
Paying Alipay and/or WeChat (WeChat Pay) Both let you link a foreign card (Gov.cn)
Ride-hailing DiDi, or its mini program in Alipay or WeChat English interface, overseas number, foreign cards (GDToday)
Trains 12306 app or website, or its Alipay mini program The official railway booking platforms (12306 FAQ)
Arrival card, registration NIA 12367 app or mini program Arrival card online and accommodation registration (NIA; NIA No. 7)
Translation A translation app with offline Chinese Beijing's government recommends one for dealing with service staff (Beijing SIM guide)
SIM top-up Your operator's app, if you buy a local SIM Find service halls and top up (MIIT Tianjin guide)

1. Alipay and WeChat Pay

Both platforms let foreign users link international cards such as Visa and Mastercard (Gov.cn). WeChat Pay charges nothing on card payments up to 200 yuan and 3% above that (WeChat Help). The author of a widely saved Alipay guide on Xiaohongshu confirms the same 200-yuan threshold and 3% fee for Alipay in the comments (ExploreChinaNow探索中国).

Set-up tips from that guide's comments:

  • Complete identity verification with your passport. Commenters say unverified accounts can't pay.
  • If a card is rejected, try a different one. Several users had Visa cards refused with no clear reason.
  • Some transfers need a Chinese bank card. Plan to pay merchants, not people.

Full setup steps are in our guide to paying in China. For fees and cash, see cash and ATMs in China.

2. Getting around

DiDi. Guangzhou's Foreign Affairs Office lists an English interface, overseas-number registration, foreign card payments, auto-translated chat and 24/7 English customer service. You can also use it as a mini program inside Alipay or WeChat (GDToday). A Xiaohongshu checklist for foreign visitors recommends the WeChat mini program (全A少女瑞秋).

Metro. In Beijing you don't need an app at all: you can tap a contactless foreign card at the gate (Beijing government). Shanghai and Guangzhou work the same way. In other cities, the same checklist suggests adding each city's ride code in Alipay or WeChat before you arrive. See metro and DiDi for foreigners.

Maps. The checklist author used the English version of Amap, a Chinese map app, for directions (全A少女瑞秋). Whatever you use, download offline areas and save addresses in Chinese characters.

3. Trains: 12306

The official platforms are the 12306 website, app and Alipay mini program (12306 FAQ). You register with your passport, which then needs to be verified.

A Xiaohongshu user who helped foreign friends register shares practical lessons (惠发财_DE):

  • scan or upload the passport photo page instead of typing details by hand
  • if the English site keeps failing, the Chinese version may work
  • verification codes may need a Chinese phone number

See how to book high-speed trains, and if a friend in China is booking for you, buying train tickets for a foreign friend.

4. Paperwork: NIA 12367

The National Immigration Administration's NIA 12367 app and its WeChat and Alipay mini programs handle two things visitors need:

  • Arrival card. Since 20 November 2025 you can fill it in online before travel (NIA). Screenshot the QR code.
  • Accommodation registration. If you stay anywhere other than a hotel, you or your host must register within 24 hours. Since 21 September 2026 this can be done online nationwide (NIA No. 7). See our accommodation registration guide.

5. Tickets for sights

Many attractions sell timed tickets through their WeChat account, a mini program or a website. The Chengdu panda base, for example, takes real-name bookings through its official WeChat account and mini program, or through authorised platforms it lists, including Trip.com (panda base). The Xiaohongshu checklist notes that even many free sights need a mini-program booking (全A少女瑞秋).

6. A Chinese phone number, if you need one

Most of the apps above work with a foreign number, but not all bookings do. Beijing's 12345 hotline confirms, for example, that the Summer Palace's online booking needs a mainland mobile number, and suggests foreign visitors buy at the entrance window with a passport instead (Beijing government). If your trip is heavy on bookings, a local SIM bought with your passport fixes this. See SIM cards and eSIMs for tourists.

Set up at home: checklist

  • Alipay and/or WeChat installed, verified with your passport, two cards linked
  • DiDi installed, or its mini program found in Alipay or WeChat
  • 12306 account created and passport submitted for verification
  • NIA 12367 app or mini program opened; arrival card done before you fly
  • Translation app with offline Chinese downloaded
  • Map app with offline areas and hotel addresses saved in Chinese
  • Bookings made for timed-entry sights

On a 240-hour stopover? Check your plan with the transit checker.

Traveller reports we referenced

We used these Xiaohongshu posts for practical experience and wrote our own summary. Nothing was translated or copied.

Sources

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