Getting your phone ready for a China road trip: payment, maps and eSIM
Four things to set up at home: Alipay and WeChat with your card linked, an eSIM made for mainland China, Amap Global for navigation, and a translation app. Here is the checklist we use every time we go on a road trip.
Almost everything on a road trip in China runs through your phone: you pay with it, you find your way with it, and you communicate with it. The good part is that you can set up all of it at home, in one evening and have your phone fully ready for your road trip before you arrive. Below is the checklist we use.
The checklist, before you fly
- Payment: Alipay and WeChat installed, each with your credit card linked to it.
- Your bank: tell your bank that you are travelling to China, so that its fraud detection does not block your card.
- Data: an eSIM made for mainland China, bought at home and installed just before you fly.
- Navigation: Amap Global, the English version of Amap (高德地图), installed.
- Translation: Microsoft Translator or Google Translate installed, and the translation setting turned on in WeChat.
- The rental car: the eHi app installed and the car reserved. The steps are in How to rent a car in China.
- Ride-hailing, if you want it: the "DiDi China" app, and not "DiDi Global".
How do I pay in China?
China pays by phone - it's everywhere and pretty much nobody uses cash anymore. Alipay (支付宝) and WeChat Pay (微信支付) are the two only app you need to pay in China and are accepted everywhere. They are both fully available in English. They both let you link your Visa or Mastercard, and pay with it in China. Once your card is linked you scan a QR code at restaurants, shops, etc. and your card is charged directly. Amounts under about RMB 200 (~ 25 EUR / 30 USD) clear without a fee; above that a small foreign-card fee applies (3% or less).
- Set up both. We strongly recommend setting up both Alipay and WeChat. WeChat is also how your communicate with hotels and people you will meet in China. If you rent a car, the deposit for the rental car is a hold through one of these app, which the rental guide explains.
- How to install You can find both apps on the regular app store (Google Store or Apple Store) and install them directly in English. In some cases, the installation might ask for a photo of your passport or another proof of identity.
- Tell your bank that you are travelling to China, because a payment from another country outside yours can look like a potential fraud to the bank, some banks might block your card.
- Carry a few hundred RMB in cash. In rare cases, small local vendors might not be able to receive payment from WeChat or Alipay when linked to a foreign cards. In these cases, having a few hundred RMB in cash is handy.
Scan to pay through WeChat.
How do I get mobile data in China?
Purchasing an eSim is the best way to get fast mobile data in China with the ability to use both local apps and the apps you know (Google, Youtube, etc.) with no restrictions. We suggest an eSim that is made for mainland China only, not a plan with global or regional coverage. The China-only eSim work well, and they are much faster, because they are optimized for China. Global eSIMs can be slow in our experience. The reason is that China-only eSim are routing their data to locations just outside of Mainland China such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Japan, while others might route the data to Europe or North America, resulting in slow speed.
Two that we suggest:
A few things to know about how it works:
- Install the eSIM just before you fly, so that it works immediately once you have landed.
- Google, WhatsApp and the other apps from home work on it, because a travel eSIM sends your data through a network outside mainland China. Not every eSIM does this. If you choose another one, check that its page says these apps work in China; if it does not, Google, Facebook and the rest will not load.
- On hotel Wi-Fi those apps stop working, because the Wi-Fi is a Chinese network. Switch back to mobile data and they return.
- Your SIM from home stays in the phone, and your number from home still receives SMS in China, which you need for the codes from your bank. Set the eSIM as the line for mobile data, and turn off data roaming on the SIM from home so that it does not cost you anything.
- A travel eSIM is data only. It does not give you a Chinese phone number, and for a road trip you do not need one (more on that in the questions below).
Which map app do I use to drive?
Amap Global. Amap (高德地图) is the map app that China drives with (the Google Map equivalent), and Amap Global is its English version, so that is the one to install. It has an English interface and English voice guidance, with live traffic, the speed limit on screen and camera warnings.
- Searching: English works for cities and for most hotels and attractions. For a village, paste the Chinese name from your itinerary. On a Dragon Roads trip, One-Tap Navigation in our app takes you from your itinerary straight into Amap navigation, with no address to type.
The main other map apps are list below but we do not recommend them:
- Apple Maps works in China as we've seen several reports saying that it is using Amap's data underneath. Many people online are reporting a good experience when they travel to big cities like Shanghai or Beijing. On the road, we still prefer to rely on Amap as it never let us down.
- Google Maps loads on the eSIM, but it is not an option for driving, because its China map is a bit outdated and it does not tell anything about traffic, etc.
- Baidu Maps and Tencent Maps are popular, but they are in Chinese only.
Which translation app works in China?
- Microsoft Translator works well and is not blocked in China, so it also works on hotel Wi-Fi.
- Google Translate works well with an eSIM. It will not work on Wi-Fi as Google services do not work in China.
- WeChat has translation built in, which is useful for basic daily conversations by text: long-press a message to translate it, or point the camera at a menu. To have conversations translated by themselves, turn it on under Me > Settings > General > Interface & Display > Translate.
- Baidu Translate is the best one for Chinese, but it asks for a Chinese phone number after a while.
If you would like a few words of your own as well, there are ten in Simple Chinese phrases for the road.
Which other apps are useful?
- DiDi (滴滴出行) is the ride-hailing app, useful on the city days when you do not drive. Install the app called "DiDi China", and not "DiDi Global", which is for everywhere outside China. DiDi also runs inside Alipay and WeChat. Uber does not work in mainland China.
- A tip for DiDi: when a driver accepts your ride, text them that you do not speak Chinese, so that they do not try to call you. The chat in the app translates in both directions, so the driver can write to you and you can answer.
- Dianping (大众点评) is the restaurant and shop review app. It is in Chinese only, but the photos, prices and ratings are readable without the language. We recommend to access this through the WeChat or Alipay mini-apps so it can use the English translation built in WeChat.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a VPN in China?
No, not with an eSIM. The eSIM already opens Google, WhatsApp and the other apps from home, and in our experience a VPN is less reliable, so we do not suggest one.
Do Google Maps and my credit card work in China?
Google Maps loads on the eSIM, but its China map is less reliable, so use Amap Global to drive (available fully in English). Your credit card works inside Alipay and WeChat Pay and will let you pay pretty much everywhere in China. ATM at big banks will also allow you to withdraw money in China but it depends on your bank policy.
Do I need a Chinese phone number?
No, most visitors do not need a Chinese phone number. A Chinese phone number is not needed to rent the car to pay anywhere. But a few Chinese services do ask for one, such as registering for food delivery or registering for EV chargers (gas station do not need a Chinese phone number). Contact us if you'd like to drive an EV during your road trip, as we have a service for this.
Can I still buy a local SIM card?
Yes. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom sell SIM cards at counters in the arrivals halls of the big airports and in their shops in town, and they register the card with your passport. A local SIM gives you a Chinese number, but Google and the apps from home do not work on it. For most trips the eSIM is simpler, and it is what we suggest.
Can I set up Alipay and WeChat before I leave home?
Yes, and you should. Registration and the card link work from abroad.
Next step
With the phone ready, what is left is the bag: plugs, power banks and the rules for a drone.
Where we can help
On a Dragon Roads trip we help with these steps and are available if you have any question. We make sure you are fully ready before you land in China. If an app or a payment fails on the road, our team in China is always one message away.
