I'm posting here today in order to close a tangent:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...als-china.html

Quoting TB in post 19 of that thread: "this is the medium by which Chinese keep in touch with each other."

I agree. If you travel to China, and fancy interacting with Chinese people, Wechat is a must have.

Wechat wallet, on the other hand, is a "maybe need to have" item.

In the mentioned thread, I told you about the foreign traveler who needed a translator; here is another use case:
1. Joe has 3 roommates
2. Every month, Joe used to collect money from them individually, and physically walk to the landlord's place with cash in hand
3. Now, his roommates send him money via Wechat, and he passes on the total to the landlord (zero face time required)
4. If Joe, or any of his roommates, is short on cash, the credit cards tied to their accounts kick in (NOT a cash advance)