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China Travel Checklist: Apps, eSIM, Payments and Arrival Prep
A practical China travel checklist for first-time visitors preparing eSIM or roaming, Alipay, WeChat, maps, DiDi, Chinese addresses, and backups.
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Before you fly to China, prepare the basics that affect your first hour on the ground: eSIM or roaming, payment apps, maps, ride-hailing, translation, Chinese addresses, bookings, and backup documents. For most first-time visitors, the practical order is simple: confirm your phone and data plan, install Alipay and WeChat, save your hotel address in Chinese, install AMap and DiDi, keep a translation app ready, and screenshot key confirmations. Do this before departure while app stores, bank verification, email, and SMS recovery are easier to access.
Best Option by Scenario
| Scenario | Best option | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First-time tourist, short city trip | Prepare eSIM or roaming, Alipay, WeChat, AMap, DiDi, translation, and hotel-address screenshots before flying. | This covers the most common arrival-day friction points. |
| Traveler taking high-speed trains | Add 12306 or Trip.com, and keep passport details consistent across every booking. | Your passport is part of the ticket and boarding workflow. |
| Traveler relying on international apps | Prepare a travel data setup and a backup connection before departure. | Do not wait until arrival to solve email, bank-login, map, messaging, or account-recovery access. |
| Late-night arrival | Save your hotel address, front-desk phone number, and a ride-hailing or taxi fallback. | Public transport options can be thinner late at night. |
Detailed Guide
Before you fly to China, make your phone boringly ready. The goal is not to install every Chinese app. The goal is to avoid being stuck at the airport with no data, no payment path, no readable address, and no way to call a ride.
Use this as a first-pass China travel checklist, then open the detailed guides for the parts that affect your trip most.
The Core Checklist
| Item | Do before departure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile data | Confirm eSIM support, buy or install a travel eSIM, or prepare roaming. | Maps, payment, translation, and ride-hailing all depend on data. |
| Alipay | Download Alipay and link an eligible international card where possible. | It is often the easiest starting point for visitor payments and travel mini-programs. |
| Create or check your account, then review whether WeChat Pay is available for you. | Many hotels, guides, drivers, restaurants, and local contacts use WeChat. | |
| Maps | Install AMap and save your first hotel, airport, and station addresses. | Local map data and Chinese place names are more reliable than relying only on Google Maps. |
| Ride-hailing | Install DiDi or test DiDi inside Alipay or WeChat. | It reduces the need to explain destinations by voice. |
| Translation | Download a translation app and offline packs where available. | Menus, signs, driver messages, and app screens can move quickly. |
| Bookings | Save hotel, train, flight, and attraction confirmations offline. | App login or network trouble should not block your first day. |
| Payment backup | Carry a second card and some RMB cash. | Mobile payment is convenient, but individual banks, cards, or merchants can still fail. |
What To Do One Week Before Travel
Confirm your phone is unlocked and supports the connection method you plan to use. If you want eSIM, check the exact device and region model. If eSIM is not available, decide whether you will use roaming, a local SIM, or pocket Wi-Fi.
Install Alipay, WeChat, AMap, DiDi, and a translation app. Open each app once on stable Wi-Fi. If an app asks for SMS, email, passport, or card verification, it is much easier to handle that before departure than in an airport arrivals hall.
Save your hotel address in Chinese. Keep it in a note, in screenshots, and in your map app. Do the same for your arrival airport, first railway station, and any attraction or restaurant you must reach on day one.
What To Do The Day Before Travel
Screenshot the boring things: passport info page, hotel confirmation, first-night address in Chinese, insurance details, card issuer phone numbers, emergency contacts, and any train or domestic flight bookings.
Keep your home SIM available if your bank, airline, email provider, or messaging app might send verification codes. A data eSIM can handle internet, but it usually does not replace your home number for account recovery.
Download offline translation packs if your translation app supports them. Also save a few phrases for taxi pickup, hotel check-in, food allergies, and payment issues.
What To Check After Landing
Turn on your planned data connection and confirm maps, translation, messaging, and payment apps can load. Before leaving the airport or station, check that you can show your hotel address in Chinese and open a ride-hailing or taxi fallback.
If you have trouble with mobile payment, do not keep trying only one route. Switch between Alipay, WeChat Pay if available, bank card, and RMB cash. For higher-stress moments such as airport transport, a simple working backup matters more than the most elegant setup.
After Landing: First 10 Minutes
- Turn on mobile data.
- Open Alipay and WeChat.
- Open AMap or another map app.
- Load your hotel address in Chinese.
- Choose metro, taxi, DiDi, or hotel transfer.
- Keep a backup payment method ready.
Next Steps
If you still need to choose a data setup, read How to Get Internet in China. If payment is your main concern, read How to Pay in China as a Foreigner. If you want the phone stack in one place, read China Travel Apps.
Step-by-Step Checklist
- 1Check if your phone supports eSIM.If not, compare roaming, local SIM, or pocket Wi-Fi before you land.
- 2Install a travel eSIM or prepare roaming.Keep your home SIM available for bank, airline, and account-verification messages.
- 3Download Alipay.Link and test an eligible international card before departure where possible.
- 4Download WeChat.Use it for messaging, QR workflows, mini-programs, and possible payment backup.
- 5Save your hotel address in Chinese.Keep it as text and a screenshot for maps, taxis, DiDi, and hotel check-in.
- 6Download a map app.Use AMap as the main mainland China map; iPhone users can keep Apple Maps as a backup.
- 7Prepare a ride-hailing option.Install DiDi or test the DiDi mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat.
- 8Keep a backup payment method.Carry a second card and some RMB cash in case a QR payment or bank card fails.
Common Mistakes
- Waiting until landing to install and verify apps. Do app-store downloads, logins, card linking, and SMS checks while you still have stable home internet.
- Saving only English place names. Copy Chinese addresses from hotels, official attraction pages, booking apps, or local map results.
- Depending on one payment app, one card, or one data plan. Use a small stack: Alipay, WeChat, backup card, RMB cash, and a fallback connection.
- Turning off your home SIM too aggressively. Keep it available for verification codes, even if your travel eSIM handles data.
FAQ
What should I prepare before traveling to China?
Prepare mobile data, Alipay, WeChat, AMap, DiDi, a translation app, Chinese hotel addresses, booking screenshots, passport details, and payment backups.
What should I do first on a China travel checklist?
Start with the things that unblock everything else: mobile data, payment apps, Chinese hotel address, map app, ride-hailing option, translation, and offline screenshots.
Should I set up Alipay before arriving in China?
Yes. Install Alipay, add an eligible card where possible, and check your account while you still have easy access to app stores, bank verification, and email.
Do I need both Alipay and WeChat?
Alipay is often the easiest main payment app for visitors, while WeChat is useful for messaging, QR codes, mini-programs, and backup payment where available.
What should I screenshot before departure?
Screenshot your hotel address in Chinese, booking confirmations, passport info page, insurance details, emergency contacts, and card issuer support numbers.
Sources and Update Notes
- Payment service guide for overseas visitors to China Checked May 25, 2026 for official payment options, mobile-payment limits, cash, and bank-card guidance.
- Guide to Payment Services in China Checked May 25, 2026 for official visitor-facing payment-service guidance.
- DiDi China: Ride Hailing on the App Store Checked May 25, 2026 for DiDi's English interface, global mobile-number login, bilingual messaging, and payment positioning.
- China Railway 12306 English website Checked May 25, 2026 as the official English rail-ticketing destination.
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