No Alipay or WeChat Pay: How to Pay Instead

2026-05-19 · 4 min read · updated 2026-10-09

We don't accept Alipay or WeChat Pay. An e-sim.net eSIM is paid with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit or debit card, through Stripe. If you're travelling from mainland China and those apps are how you pay for everything, this page covers what still works and what to check before you leave.

What we accept

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• A credit or debit card, typed in at checkout

We also don't take PayPal or crypto. You pick a plan, pay, and the install page opens straight away: a link on iPhone, a QR code on other phones. Both are in your receipt too.

If you normally pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay

• Use the bank card behind your wallet. Alipay and WeChat Pay usually draw on a bank card. If that card can make international online payments, you can type it in at checkout. Your bank can tell you whether it can, and whether you need to switch that on first.
• Add a card to Apple Pay or Google Pay. If your phone and card support it in your region, this is the quickest checkout. Whether a given card can be added depends on the bank.
• Ask a friend or relative to pay. Someone with a card or a phone wallet can buy the plan and forward you the receipt. The eSIM installs on whichever phone scans the QR code or opens the install link, and usually only once, so they should forward it without scanning or opening it themselves. You then install it on your own phone over Wi-Fi. If a refund is ever due, it goes back to their card or wallet.

Before you travel from China

Check the phone, not just the payment

Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Many phones sold in mainland China use two physical SIM slots and have no eSIM, even when the same model sold elsewhere does. Check before you pay: the device list and checking eSIM support show you how. If your phone can't take an eSIM, it's better to know now than at the airport.

Keep your home number for verification codes

Your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts, which matters for bank and app verification codes. Ask your carrier what receiving texts abroad costs. Then turn off data roaming on the home line and use the eSIM for data. Keeping your number abroad walks through the settings.

Install at home, on Wi-Fi

The plan's clock doesn't start until your phone connects to a network in the destination, so installing a few days early costs nothing.

Pick the right plan

For one country, a country plan is the simplest. For several countries, a regional plan saves switching.

• Japan and Thailand for single-country trips. Their guides show networks and coverage: Japan guide, Thailand guide.
• Europe for a multi-country route.
• Global if you're crossing regions.

For size, a week of maps and messaging is about 1.7 GB with headroom, and a week of social media about 4.1 GB. See how much data you need for longer trips.

See Global plans