So my friend Lucas from São Paulo visited Shanghai last month. Before he arrived, he told me:
"I'll just use my credit card and some cash. I don't want to deal with Chinese apps."
I told him it was a bad idea. He said he'd be fine.
He was not fine.
Day 1 — The Airport
Lucas lands at Pudong. Tries to buy a metro ticket with his Visa card. The machine rejects it three times. He goes to the counter. The attendant points at a sign: "Cash only for single tickets."
He only has a ¥100 bill. The machine doesn't give change. He stands there blocking the line for five minutes until a local guy helps him use the ticket app.
Day 2 — Lunch
We go to a local noodle shop. No English menu. No pictures. Just a wall of Chinese characters.
I order for both of us with my phone. Lucas tries to pay me back in cash. I say: "Just get Alipay." He says: "No, I'm good."
That night, we try to grab street food. The vendor doesn't take cash. At all. She literally doesn't have a cash drawer. Lucas watches me scan a QR code and eat dumplings while he stands there hungry.
Day 3 — The Breaking Point
Lucas wants to take a Didi to the Bund. He downloads the app but can't pay because he has no Chinese payment method linked. He tries to flag a taxi. Two empty cabs pass him by because they don't want to deal with a foreigner paying cash.
He calls me. I can hear the frustration in his voice.
"Okay," he says. "Teach me Alipay. Right now."
Took us 20 minutes. Passport scan. Selfie. Link his Mastercard. Done.
Day 4 — The Conversion
Lucas pays for breakfast with his phone. Pays for metro with his phone. Pays for coffee with his phone. He looks at me and says:
"This is actually... incredible? Why doesn't every country work like this?"
By Day 5, he's paying for everything faster than I am.
The lesson: If you're visiting China for more than 48 hours, just set up Alipay or WeChat Pay on day one. Don't be a Lucas.
Anyone else have a friend who resisted mobile payment and then got converted?
Posted on 2026-5-23 07:54:25