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Thread: Opinion: without Alipay and Wechat Pay, you are screwed in Shanghai
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Old Sep 1, 2024 | 7:04 pm
  #945  
gudugan
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Originally Posted by lamphs
I've read through the thread and pursued a couple of webpages. I think I understand that I can download Alipay or WeChat to my US phone prior to arriving in China, including account setup, linking a credit card, etc.

What I still am unclear is whether or not I need to purchase a SIM/eSIM upon arrival in order to have a Chinese # to use the apps in China. Apologies for a seemingly newbie question, but I'm stumped!

(I really don't want to pay AT&T to have my phone network connected for four days just because.)

TIA!
You don’t need a Chinese number for 4 days. A US number can work for many things, but not all, if you can receive SMS on it globally. Buying a SIM (either a Hong Kong one, or an Asia roaming one) may be cheaper than paying AT&T.
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