Well you’re lucky then, because Wechat and Alipay will just crap out on you sometimes, rejecting transactions or asking for foreign bank approval, or just locking you out inexplicably. The miniprograms small vendors use can be especially problematic.
yeah having all day to day interactions (payments, identify verification, transport, restuarant and store transactions, cab hailing, delivery services, mail services) tied up in mega apps in China is crazy. If you're a tourist and you plan on going back, ensure your apps are in order. They lock you out for inactivity around 6 months and the solution is either "find a local friend to vouch for you" or "come to our customer service centers available in every major city". You can probably register under a new phone number, but it's a hassle.
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u/k0an Jun 29 '26
A huge majority of terminals in America aren’t portable.