What is the most popular payment method in China?
Mobile wallets. Alipay and WeChat Pay together hold more than 90% of third-party payments, and CNNIC counted 1.017 billion online payment users at the end of 2025. Most of these payments are funded by UnionPay debit cards linked to the wallets.
In detail
Mobile wallets. Alipay and WeChat Pay together hold more than 90% of third-party payments, and CNNIC counted 1.017 billion online payment users at the end of 2025. Most of these payments are funded by UnionPay debit cards linked to the wallets.
How payments work in China
Shoppers pay by scanning a merchant QR code or showing their own code to be scanned. The wallet draws on a balance or a linked bank card. The same wallets are used online, in apps, for bills and for transfers between people.
UnionPay
UnionPay is the domestic card network behind most bank cards in China. Cards are often used indirectly, through wallets, rather than presented at the counter.
Cash and other methods
Cash remains legal tender and must be accepted. The digital yuan, e-CNY, is being piloted.
Cross-border shoppers
Chinese tourists and online shoppers abroad expect Alipay and WeChat Pay, and the wallets have built international acceptance networks.
What it means for payment operators
For your merchants selling to Chinese consumers, at home or abroad, Alipay and WeChat Pay are essential. Access to these wallets through one platform makes them part of the standard checkout.