Pre-pandemic I managed to get registered with one of those bike outfits using a deposit and a selfie holding my passport, but it took something like a dozen tries before the automated system accepted my photo.
In any event, I have the impression the bike craze has passed.
I know there is now a dedicated bike thread (because I started it
), but I'm wondering what gives you the impression that the bike craze has passed. Sure, the specific players might change, but the business model hasn't. Furthermore, finding bikes (especially near subway stations) is super easy. I do still see piles of bikes in completely random places (e.g. it seems like the same trucks that redistribute the goodish bikes to subway stations haul the bad ones off to locations where they think nobody will notice them).
Back on the WeChat/Alipay topic, lots of smaller merchants (e.g. non-branded convenience stores, very local restaurants, clothes washing) don't have scanners. And, in about half of these cases, I notice that the recipient account is a personal account. I'm not sure why your Alipay tourist passes care about this stuff. Isn't the whole point to let you spend money anyway you choose.