Hi guys,

So I setup my wife with WeChat pay and also did AliPay for myself and for her. Of course, I did this on our phones with the current US based phone numbers. I'm planning to buy China-specific SIMs for when we go (I may buy beforehand from Amazon or whatever) and hope to get Chinese based phone #s as well.

Is this going to cause issues with either or both of the apps though (in the case that both apps are dependent on having a current phone number)? Or is it simple enough to change the phone number on the apps, if needed, after getting into China? I was thinking maybe we'll just go to a SIM card place at PEK and buy at least one SIM card there then take care of the other one after for less elsewhere in the city (that is, if we don't decide to just get one on Amazon ahead of time).

I wouldn't bother changing your numbers with either account. SMS verifications are not especially common after you're up and running.

So if we have it setup now, once we're in China (regardless of if we do a data-only vs data + Chinese number/voice), we'll be able to use both WePay and AliPay? And if we launch either app with a Chinese SIM card and phone number assigned (if we get a data + voice plan), it's not going to cause any problems with either app? I do have some concerns over 2FA because I do use that with a number of apps (especially banking)...

I can't promise that you won't encounter any issues, but I fail to see any upside to you tinkering with an arrangement that is working unless you actually get shut out. Presumably, you'll have some means to check SMS anyway, right?

I have no clue how to check SMS on my US phone number while in a different country where I don't have intl service/coverage

At the time you use Alipay or Wechat to pay, you need (almost always) an internet connection, which can be wifi or cell.

But you need to receive SMSs from Alipay or Wechat only when you're setting it up or if there's a security issue, etc.

If you're funding with a foreign bank card your bank might send an SMS when you use the card though.

I did exactly the same thing as you are planning to do, both Alipay and Weixin accounts setup and verified with a French phone, and then utilised a local Chinese SIM the whole time i was in China. No problems at all; continue to use as normal.

For 2FA, I am not sure how that will work out for you. Most of the time, I never had an issue but the 2FA utilised in many European bankings are done thru their banking appli and not just an SMS, so when 2FA was required, I just verified thru the banking appli as normal. If you have to receive an SMS to do 2FA, then you'd have to be able to receive that SMS. But if you have a dual-SIM phone like most people in Europe and Asia, it wouldn't be a problem.

You need to be careful. The phone number determines the version of the app you will use. Either the domestic Chinese version or the English foreigner version. If you register with a foreign number then change to a local number, they will convert your app to the Chinese version. Alipay released a new foreigner friend version of the app, so there is an advantage of using a foreign number.

Hello everyone,

I've downloaded wechat (in the U.S.) not for anything specific; rather, it's just to have an account.

Of course, registering is an obtuse exercise that has yet to yield any success.

I've tried confirming the account through text, e-mail, social media, and through a friend's U.S. account, but no dice.

Any recommendations? I'm currently in Japan -- and might be in China for a few days at the end of April -- but was hoping to get it all done beforehand.

Appreciate your advice.

FFF

So, you have an account with zero friends other than "WeChat Team"? I didn't know that was possible.

I suppose, one thing you could do is to make sure it easier for other people to add you (I discovered these settings a few years ago because people were having trouble adding me by Weixin ID)

No. I can't even register for wechat, let alone bungle up settings. It would be nice to register before going to the mainland.

There are a bunch of yt videos on this topic, some of which are fairly recent. I looked at a few, and most of their advice seems pretty obvious, but maybe you'll be able to identify your snag.

I've created (or helped create) a number of non-China accounts myself, including a few using Google Voice numbers (connect your device to wx anyway you please; receive verication code on your computer), so you could always try to start completely from scratch (i.e different number, different phone).

In any event, I highly doubt they are trying to throttle new registrations because that would undermine their core mission as a social media platform.

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Their core mission is not to make the emperor angry. If that means making registration/verification extremely difficult, then so be it.

I created new accounts with a more accessible phone number (US Google Voice) on a new device yesterday for both Alipay and WeChat while within the US. No issues on either, including with passport verification.