can be accessed via alipay

I prefer the standalone apps in those cases, but I do try to keep my phone clutter free, for the most part.

Will be shortly traveling within China for three weeks. All this discussion about phone apps and what works/doesnt is making me grateful that I am part of an all-inclusive group tour and can off-load these responsibilites to the tour leader, as befits someone of my advanced age and declining mental faculties. But all the info you folks are providing is appreciated considering I was forced to obtain a 10-year multi-entry visa

Apologies for my non-informative post; awoke early and was feeling lonely.

Hey, no worries. I would imagine in your case the key things would be

1. Ensuring that you have suitable connectivity in China. If your phone is Android it will struggle to do even the most basic of things with no connection to Google services, and if you otherwise use Google or other Western social apps or Media outlets on any device they won't work. The best way to solve this is a roaming SIM card with a sensible cost bundle of data to use in China. See SIM for Cell Phone in China

2. Even though your tour is all inclusive you might want to buy a few things for yourself. In which case having some cash (accepted in places where Western tourists tread) or setting up WeChat pay or AliPay. You can probably survive with cash as you're on a tour, but if you venture off into "real" China then the payment apps become pretty much a necessity. Opinion: without Alipay and Wechat Pay, you are screwed in Shanghai

3. In case you have some downtime or you feel the need to venture out to self-explore sometime AMaps for navigation (or to just work out where you are, accurately, as western mapping is broken in China) Google maps not workingfor public transit ? - urgent

Thank you for your informative (and kind) reply, Plunet!

Regardless of what that phrase which I bolded might mean, I still don't have any..."real" issues using cash.

However, two things I am noticing more and more (and that should come as a shock to no one):
- occasionally, businesses don't have small change. whatever, they're usually up front about it.
- the already irritating metro systems are further worsening, as many are eliminating all but one/maybe two ticket machines that accepts cash, and are forcing those cash users to try and find a customer service desk.

OTOH, this may have been mentioned upthread, but Beijing and Guangzhou metros seem to accept foreign Visa/Mastercard now. I bet Shanghai is already there, too (but it wasn't last summer).

If you load 100 on a public transit card, that should last you a week or two in most cities that have subways.

Just take a picture of the menu and upload it to ChatGPT. If you�re in China, DeepSeek might be a better option, and it can explain the menu for you.

Honestly, an eSIM from Trip is usually enough for internet access, and the price is pretty reasonable. But if you�re going to be in China for a while, I�d suggest getting a local SIM card at the airport and using it with a VPN. You can find lots of recommendations on the forum (Best and Fast VPN for China ?), and it�s generally cheaper and easier in the long run.

Returned home yesterday after 18 days in China. Enjoyed my trip immensly but ate too much.

My T-mobile Magenta plan and Airalo esim kept me connected. Had installed Proton VPN but quickly noticed I didnt need it since all the sites I wanted to access were accessible.

Easily accessed WhatsApp to share pictures and phone calls with family in US.

Used WeChat to communicate and share pictures within our group, but I did not activate the payment feature because I had trepidations about providing my passport info to activate credit card access. As a result, I had to channel my inner Blanche DuBois whenever (often) I encountered a no-cash ice cream vending machine.

At metro systems in various cities one person usually bought tickets for everyone because it was taking too long for 12 people to buy tickets individually (factor in that most in the group are ages 70+ years).

Used trip.com to book hotel<->airport transfers for entering and exiting China and Taipei.

Apple maps was fine when wandering on my own. Used the airtag in my hotel room as fail-safe to guide me back in case I got lost (never!)

Google Translate was sufficient; I had downloaded Simplified and Traditional Chinese pre-trip.

FWIW, my general phone hygiene when traveling outside US is to disable automatic iOS and app updates, turn off Wifi except in hotel room, not access my banking or credit card apps/sites, and keep Location off unless lost. If Columbus found India without fancy-smancy smartphones, I should be able to navigate the streets and subways in any major city!

Blueberries and laundry detergent, delivered in 8 minutes:

Can someone please answer definitively if I need a VPN/eSim in mainland China and Hong Kong or not? I have a locked iPhone 16 Pro from AT&T and was planning to use AT&T's International Day Plan at $12/day capped at $120/blling cycle. I know there are probably cheaper options out there but using the AT&T international day plan is easiest for me, especially since my phone is still locked and I'd have to pay off my phone ($500+) in order to unlock it.

You'll be fine without a VPN, assuming your data cap is fairly high (at $12 per day, I'm guessing it's unlimited).

Thank you! i was reading so much conflicting information!

I�ve used AT&T�s IDP in China, you don�t need a VPN with it