Life in Mainland China
Paying in China: QR codes, apps and cash
Almost everything is paid by phone, from a restaurant bill to a bowl of noodles at a stall, by scanning a QR code.
Play: Paying quizScan to pay
A printed QR code stands on the counter of every shop and stall. You scan it with Alipay or WeChat Pay and type the amount, or the cashier scans a code on your phone. Restaurants often put a code on the table to order and pay. Bikes, metros and vending machines work the same way.
Visitors can download either app and link an international card. The rules on limits and fees are set by each app and change from time to time, so read the app's own help pages before you go. Keep some cash and a card as back-up.
Cash
The currency is the renminbi, counted in yuan: notes from 1 to 100 yuan, the 100 red, all with Mao Zedong's portrait. In speech a yuan is a kuai, and a tenth of one is a mao. Cash remains legal tender and the central bank has said shops may not refuse it, though some small vendors have little change.
Bargaining
Markets, souvenir stalls and small traders expect a little bargaining; shops, supermarkets and restaurants with printed prices do not.
Paying quiz
QR codes, kuai and red envelopes.
How do most people in China pay in a shop?
Answer
Scanning a QR code with a phone. By phone, with a QR code: you scan the shop's, or the shop scans one on your phone.
Which two apps handle most phone payments?
Answer
Alipay and WeChat Pay. Alipay and WeChat Pay, both opened from a phone.
Is cash still legal tender?
Answer
Yes, and shops are required to accept it. Yes. The central bank has told businesses they may not refuse cash, though carrying change is less common.
What do people often call the yuan in speech?
Answer
Kuai. Kuai, a 'piece'. Ten jiao, or mao in speech, make one yuan.
Since 2014, how are many New Year red envelopes sent?
Answer
Digitally, through a messaging app. Digitally, in group chats, where friends race to grab a share of a red envelope.
Where is bargaining normal?
Answer
Markets and small stalls. In markets and at stalls. Shops with marked prices do not bargain.