WeChat pay still doesn’t work in Thailand unless you are Chinese

[Everyman]

This is probably not of much consequence or interest to many of you, except Thailand based expats like me that also go to China and like their cashless payment system.

 

Anyway, despite rumor to the contrary (I think I read the rumor here) WeChat (Weixin) Pay still only works outside China if you have a Chinese ID card. Which I think you have to be Chinese to get. Still it looks like WeChat is setup to take payment in Thai baht if a Thai WeChat pay QR code is scanned. 

 

Anyway, since my WeChat pay is linked to my “farang” credit card, it would have let me spend on my CC in more places. But oh well. 

[NoDisplayName]

Always a problem in China, lacking a national ID card is a major hindrance.

 

Google says foreigners can use wechat pay, though.

 

How to use WeChat Pay as a foreigner? (Full setup guide)

https://wise.com/us/blog/wechat-pay-for-foreigners

 

Yes, it is possible for users who aren’t Chinese citizens or permanent residents to use WeChat Pay.

However, you might need to download the international version of the app, and you’ll face restrictions unless you have a Chinese bank account.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Everyman said:

This is probably not of much consequence or interest to many of you, except Thailand based expats like me that also go to China and like their cashless payment system.

 

Anyway, despite rumor to the contrary (I think I read the rumor here) WeChat (Weixin) Pay still only works outside China if you have a Chinese ID card. Which I think you have to be Chinese to get. Still it looks like WeChat is setup to take payment in Thai baht if a Thai WeChat pay QR code is scanned. 

 

Anyway, since my WeChat pay is linked to my “farang” credit card, it would have let me spend on my CC in more places. But oh well. 

 

Actually, this is quite a bit of interest to me, and has been for ages.....

 

 

[leola74]

i'm going to china next month for the first time, and after a friend's horror stories about all his (foreign) c/c being blocked in china, i'm trying to get ahead of the game.  I installed wechat pay and alipay, and went through the id verification process on both.

 

now i linked a (German) credit card to both apps and tried to pay at 7-11 in Thailand, and it didn't work.  My c/c company confirms that on their side there is no issue with using my c/c through those apps.  So the problem is with the apps themselves.

 

A chinese friend has also sent me cash into my wechat wallet, i received that and was able to transfer it back to him with no problem.  but trying to use this "cash" to pay at 7-11 again didn't work.

 

so my question is: is this not working because i'm in thailand?  can i expect this to work when i'm in china?

 

from the OP, it sounds like it just doesn't work outside of china, but it WILL work in china.  can someone confirm this is true?

[triplez]

I had the same problem trying to pay for the Hong Kong-Macau bridge shuttle bus. Thai credit card added to WeChat pay. but it didn't work. 
Would be very interested in a solution. 

[Everyman]

11 hours ago, leola74 said:

i'm going to china next month for the first time, and after a friend's horror stories about all his (foreign) c/c being blocked in china, i'm trying to get ahead of the game.  I installed wechat pay and alipay, and went through the id verification process on both.

 

now i linked a (German) credit card to both apps and tried to pay at 7-11 in Thailand, and it didn't work.  My c/c company confirms that on their side there is no issue with using my c/c through those apps.  So the problem is with the apps themselves.

 

A chinese friend has also sent me cash into my wechat wallet, i received that and was able to transfer it back to him with no problem.  but trying to use this "cash" to pay at 7-11 again didn't work.

 

so my question is: is this not working because i'm in thailand?  can i expect this to work when i'm in china?

 

from the OP, it sounds like it just doesn't work outside of china, but it WILL work in china.  can someone confirm this is true?

 

There’s no way to tell if it will work on China. Just be prepared for the worst.

 

As far as outside China, it absolutely will not work outside China unless you have a Chinese ID card (meaning you are a chinese)

 

I am very surprised you were able to register at all for WeChat outside China. I could only do so once I was in China, 

[oldcpu]

On 3/8/2025 at 4:17 AM, Everyman said:

 

There’s no way to tell if it will work on China. Just be prepared for the worst.

 

As far as outside China, it absolutely will not work outside China unless you have a Chinese ID card (meaning you are a chinese)

 

I am very surprised you were able to register at all for WeChat outside China. I could only do so once I was in China, 

 

My Thai wife uses WeChat in Thailand.

 

A Thai girlf friend of hers (who uses it extensively for business with clients in China) 'invited' her electronically to use WeChat.  I assume my wife's friend obtained WeChat functionality the same way (ie invited electronically by someone else with access).

 

In essence, I believe, in order to initially use WeChat (ie register a new account) and then use outside of Thailand, one needs to have an electronic invite from a person who has existing WeChat access.

 

My wife has had had WeChat functioning in Thailand for over a year now - so I supose it is possible that policy has changed for new members. But it definitely can work outside of China.

[wadman]

On 3/7/2025 at 4:46 PM, leola74 said:

i'm going to china next month for the first time, and after a friend's horror stories about all his (foreign) c/c being blocked in china, i'm trying to get ahead of the game.  I installed wechat pay and alipay, and went through the id verification process on both.

 

now i linked a (German) credit card to both apps and tried to pay at 7-11 in Thailand, and it didn't work.  My c/c company confirms that on their side there is no issue with using my c/c through those apps.  So the problem is with the apps themselves.

 

A chinese friend has also sent me cash into my wechat wallet, i received that and was able to transfer it back to him with no problem.  but trying to use this "cash" to pay at 7-11 again didn't work.

 

so my question is: is this not working because i'm in thailand?  can i expect this to work when i'm in china?

 

from the OP, it sounds like it just doesn't work outside of china, but it WILL work in china.  can someone confirm this is true?

 

 

Foreign Wechat pay account = Wechat pay account registered with a foreign passport.

Local Wechat pay account = Wechat pay account registered with a China ID.

 

The issue with Wechat pay (now officially renamed to: Weixin pay) is currency control.  Meaning that China doesn't allow you to take unlimited amounts of money out of China.

 

Local Wechat pay accounts can be used for payment outside of China, up to a certain amount per year.  I think it's something like the 500k or 1 million RMB per citizen per year.  This amount is applied to all money sent or spent outside of China.  So if someone makes a bank transfer from a China bank account to a US account (for example), that amount counts towards that limit.

 

It's too complicated to track foreign spending on a foreign wechat pay account so they don't allow you spend any money outside of China.

 

Short version: For foreign Wechat pay accounts, you cannot use it outside of China.  You can use it in China, as that isn't taking any money out of China.

 

Long version: Strictly speaking, you can use a foreign wechat pay account to pay a vendor outside of China, IF that vendor is registered as a Chinese company.  Example: you are in Thailand, you book a flight with a Chinese airline, you can pay with your foreign wechat account.

 

I have a wechat pay account registered with a foreign passport.  It works like a charm inside China, it does not work in Thailand (I have tried).