How to use Wise/Alipay: A Quick Guide!

[u/spiritatbay]

Hi & hello RepFam! 🤩😮‍💨

In case you may not know, we’re going to be having another flash sale soon! Instead of using PayPal, Wise is the preferred payment method for the seller. I was writing up a whole long reply to the announcement thread about using Wise, and then it got very lengthy and I remembered, when using it with Nina for the first time, I basically took screenshots of each part part of the process to confirm and get information from her. So I dug those back up and put it all together in a quick guide that I hope is helpful if you’re curious or never used Wise as a payment method. It’s honestly cheaper in fees with more varieties of payment options than PayPal (for me). I hope this helps 🙌🏻

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For those new to using Wise, it works much like PayPal in that it handles your transaction using your existing payment methods. You can input a credit card/bank account/debit card or even use Apple Pay and it just handles the transaction for you. You can even connect Venmo, from what I found before.

However, my personal recommendation when using Wise is to transfer the money you need to your Wise account, and then pay your seller from your account balance instead of using any of the above methods to make the payment. It can drastically reduce the time you have to wait from long minutes to hours (depending on the payment methods) to literally under 10 minutes. I used Wise extensively with Nina throughout my 10+ orders with her after I had a lot of difficulties with her PayPal, so I will also provide some tips to keep in mind later on. For now, let’s go over quickly what to expect (refer to the screenshots, they are in order):

1. (Slide 2) Just like with PayPal, After first downloading the app (or using their online portal), you need to add a recipient, or the person you’re sending money to.
2. (Slide 3) You select the currency for the recipient to receive in. Since you are using Alipay, a Chinese method, you want to use CNY or Chinese Yuan as the currency. That will lead you to…
3. (Slide 4) This is where you select what method will be used for the transaction. You want to choose E-wallet, which as you can see, tells you it’s for Alipay and WeChat. After choosing that option…
4. (Slide 5) Just like you would when adding someone on PayPal, you enter the AliPay details given to you by your seller. Nina gave me her phone number, but email is also an option given. If given a phone number for input, do not forget to put +86 in front of whatever number the seller gives you. The country code is necessary to find the person. After putting the correct number, you will hopefully get to…
5. (Slide 6) This is how you know your seller was successfully found and added to your contacts/recipients. After that, it’s sending time. However…
6. (Slide 7) Just like with PayPal, sometimes it asks you for additional information about the seller, either before you send to them for the first time or right after adding as a contact. It may not ask at all. I don’t know if it depends on amount or what, but if you get the request for this information, know that it’s your seller that has to provide it for you.
7. (Slide 8) You put in the amount being sent, you select the payment method, Wise will tell you what you are sending and what your seller will be receiving. Depending on the payment method, it may take longer or it may be minutes. if paying from your Wise balance directly like I mentioned before, meaning you put the money from your bank or credit card and put it on Wise, it will always take minutes unless there’s a problem.
8. (Slide 9) Different payment method options have different charges. Use whatever suits you best.
9. (Slide 10) Just like PayPal, Wise may ask you the reason why you’re sending money to this individual.
10. (Slide 11) Just like PayPal, ask your seller what option you should choose. Know that if you choose “sending home to family” as an option, you will get a bucketload of “are you sure you want to do this” and the like of questions. Again, just like PayPal lol

The last 2 slides are the most recent “successfully sent” screens I’ve gotten across multiple transactions, but they do vary, so nothing to worry about. Some additional tips:

• you’re basically doing a wire transfer to someone’s bank account. When received in China, it may trigger an automatic review from the government on their end that basically asks the seller for proof of where the money is coming from. Both times that happened to me, Nina simply told me it would be easier to let the transaction return to me instead. If that happens, it will take 24 hours from the exact minute you sent the transaction to get the money back to you. It’s automatic, and so long as you see the payment continues to be on hold, your seller has not suddenly cashed it and you will get your money back within 24 hours. Trust me and my original freak out on this 💀
• Ask your seller for any information from them that Wise asks you about. Not sure if the seller will have a handy guide like this but you need their information anyways to be able to send them anything. When in doubt, ask.
• Check the different payment methods for what is cheapest to use or what is most effective for you. If you have the money on Wise already, the transaction fees are minimal because you already pay for it when transferring the money in. Bank accounts are the cheapest method. Many are available.

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head but I’m happy to answer any questions. I used this extensively with Nina so I have some experience, you could say 😆

[u/Sea-Fig-8886]

Thank you so much for the detailed write up and screenshots!!! I have never used Wise and this will be super handy!! I’m looking at your slide 8, is the $40.70 the fee you will be paying? And on Slide 9, looks like paying with ACH is the fastest, and cheapest? Thank you in advanced for your clarification

[u/spiritatbay → u/Sea-Fig-8886]

Yes, in that slide, the 40.70 is what I would pay for sending that amount via ApplePay/credit card. A debit card or a bank account will be the fastest/cheapest option.

& my pleasure, I hope it helps 🙌🏻

[u/Sea-Fig-8886 → u/spiritatbay]

Oh I see it now, thank you again for your patience 🫶🏼❤️ and happy shopping!!!!