So what’s the lowdown in what you can use an Alipay account for?
- Shop on most of Chinese website, including Taobao and Tmall
- Transfer money to your friends
- Pay credit card bills
- Pay phone bills
- Go Dutch
- Get a taxi
- Invest in mutual fund with Alibaba
- Check bank balance
- In-store purchase for selected supermarket, restaurants and vending machines
As a foreigner, anybody living outside of China, setting up an Alipay account (also known as Zhifubao) has been met great difficulty due to the need for a shenfenzheng (Chinese ID) number. To be completely honest, I tried writing up a how-to guide in setting up an Alipay account, but repeatedly got lost or confused with all the steps required. Luckily SmartShanghai has written up a very concise step-by-step guide.
So there you have it. I hope that this brief article has given you some insight into Alipay and/or aided you in opening an account. Before we go, here’s a quick list of Chinese words you may encounter on Alipay’s website, and their transactions:
| 还款 | huán kuǎn | repayment |
| 充值 | chōngzhí | recharge |
| 捐款 | juān kuǎn | donation |
| 彩票 | cǎi piào | lottery |
| 学费 | xué fèi | tuition |
| 注册 | zhù cè | register |
| 确定 | què ding | confirm |
| 账户 | zhàng hù | account |
| 护照 | hù zhào | passport |
| 海外 | hǎi wài | overseas |
| 支付密码 | zhīfù mì mǎ | payment code |
| 登录密码 | dēng lù mì mǎ | login password |
| 真实姓名 | zhēn shíxìng míng | real name |
| 性别 | xìng bié | gender |
