Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you land

China is nearly cashless, and most shops, taxis, and ticket machines expect Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both now accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards linked inside the app; set it up at home, verify your passport in the app, and test it. Keep some cash for the rare holdout. Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, and most Western apps are blocked; a VPN installed before arrival is the usual workaround, and an eSIM with roaming data bypasses the block without one.