Anyone Using WeChat Wallet?

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  • This topic has 26 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by Avatar photofeiyu.
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  • #42801
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    WeChat has a digital payment system built into it called Wallet, which you can access by tapping on Me > Wallet. You can use it for things like adding credit to your phone, paying for taxis, and sending money to people.

    Anyone using this? If so, with which bank? Did you encounter any problems, and if so, how did you overcome them?

    Some background info: I’ve been trying to set this up but have been unsuccessful so far. With my Bank of China card, it wouldn’t let me select Passport as identification type (only 身份证). So I tried my Construction Bank card, and that one lets me select passport but keeps saying that my name is entered incorrectly (I went to the bank and ensured that I’m entering it exactly as the bank has my name listed). I have online banking enabled on both of these accounts. I’ve spoken to one foreigner who has this set up on a Merchants card which works, but I don’t have an account at Merchants that is convenient to use with this.

    #42803
    Avatar photoj.slemmer
    Participant

    Hey Charlie,

    I tried to set that up as well, but also failed on the same issue.
    No Chinese ID here…

    Let’s say you set it of correctly. What would you use it for anyway?

    Are there any uses for us laowai?

    #42804
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    Let’s say you set it of correctly. What would you use it for anyway? Are there any uses for us laowai?

    Yeah, I think so. I learned about this when I saw a friend use it to hail and pay for a taxi, and it worked quickly and easily, without transferring cash. The other thing I would definitely use it for is to add money to my phone. I usually use Taobao to do this (on a computer) but recently Zhifubao decided to freeze my account randomly and I recently bought those scratch off phone cards, both of which are a pain. You can pay for movie tickets and 团购 (group buy) stuff on Dianping as well, which is cool because it uses the GPS in your phone to find movies and things near you.

    #42806
    Avatar photoj.slemmer
    Participant

    That’s true yes. I had a friend topup my phone balance with his WeChat Wallet.

    #42807
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant

    The other thing I would definitely use it for is to add money to my phone.

    I use the China Merchants bank app for this. Same for my internet fee. Really easy. I’m guessing this should be possible with other bank apps as well.

    I usually use Taobao to do this (on a computer) but recently Zhifubao decided to freeze my account randomly

    What’s Zhifubao? They froze your Taobao account?!

    #42808
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    What’s Zhifubao? They froze your Taobao account?!

    Zhifubao (called Alipay in English) is a third-party payment processor which doesn’t charge any fees. It’s like Paypal, and it’s built into Taobao because they’re both made and owned by the same company (Alibaba). This is the second time that Zhifubao has frozen my account due to “security concerns”. What they do is make you do is jump through hoops to prove your identity, like take screenshots of your online bank interface and transactions.

    #42809
    Avatar photoRainbow
    Participant

    go with alipay, UnionPay online-banking or just any online-banking(except the ones from Bank of Chengdu, they didn’t get many websites to support it). Other than that, I don’t really know any local what’s actually using WeChat Wallet, maybe it’s not that necessary.

    #42810
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    I use the China Merchants bank app for this. Same for my internet fee. Really easy. I’m guessing this should be possible with other bank apps as well.

    I hadn’t even though of that. I will look in the app store for this, thanks Vincent.

    go with alipay, UnionPay online-banking or just any online-banking(except the ones from Bank of Chengdu, they didn’t get many websites to support it). Other than that, I don’t really know any local what’s actually using WeChat Wallet, maybe it’s not that necessary.

    I have these, but could never get them to work on my iPhone, only on laptop. I think the Taobao app alone could do the same thing essentially, but I could never get it to work with payments (the Alipay “Easy Pay” things has been impossible for me to set up so far). Chinese internet services are frustratingly convoluted and difficult to setup and maintain compared to international alternatives.

    #42814
    Avatar photoRainbow
    Participant

    well, they had to take extra care, there r too many online frauds these days. But a card Nr. and a local phone number for sms confirmation r all it takes in most cases paying online. U just need someone to help u go through the process.

    #42815
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant

    This is the second time that Zhifubao has frozen my account due to “security concerns”. What they do is make you do is jump through hoops to prove your identity, like take screenshots of your online bank interface and transactions.

    Sounds really annoying, I hope this never happens to me. I’ve been using Taobao for several years and I buy stuff regularly, but it has never happened to me, even though my Alipay account is not verified at all. It just has my phone number. Not even my full name. So, it’s strange. Or are you using your Alipay for large transactions/transfers and stuff like that? I just buy on Taobao.

    the Alipay “Easy Pay” things has been impossible for me to set up so far

    Same here. If I remember correctly this also had to do something with the fact I couldn’t input a foreign passport ID. I always have to pay by sending a message through my phone and confirming it there with my bank pin.

    #42816
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    well, they had to take extra care, there r too many online frauds these days. But a card Nr. and a local phone number for sms confirmation r all it takes in most cases paying online. U just need someone to help u go through the process.

    I’m pretty sure I did nothing to indicate that I am a security risk. I just buy things on Taobao, paying for them in advance. But that’s not what I mean. When they freeze your account, it is impossible to get in touch with a human to help and say yes, I am me, here’s my passport scan, my phone number, and my email address, all of which you can verify to prove that I am me. The service just sucks. This is not to mention the actual function of nearly all these internet services being abysmal. It’s unfair to compare it to something like American companies (which they are all poorly copying), but it does get frustrating when you can’t get what should be a very simple process to even work at all.

    Sounds really annoying, I hope this never happens to me. I’ve been using Taobao for several years and I buy stuff regularly, but it has never happened to me, even though my Alipay account is not verified at all. It just has my phone number. Not even my full name. So, it’s strange. Or are you using your Alipay for large transactions/transfers and stuff like that? I just buy on Taobao.

    Nope. Just for normal things, like I assume you and everyone else does.

    Same here. If I remember correctly this also had to do something with the fact I couldn’t input a foreign passport ID. I always have to pay by sending a message through my phone and confirming it there with my bank pin.

    That’s what I do also. I have no problem with that system, it’s fast and easy enough.

    #42818
    Avatar photoRainbow
    Participant

    tried contact with customer service?

    #42824
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    tried contact with customer service?

    Yeah, they are useless. It’s impossible to reach a human, it’s just a copy & paste reply every time.

    #47723
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    Bumping this old thread – I finally got WeChat wallet working a few weeks ago, and it has been hugely convenient. Especially for JD.com which makes ordering things on my phone dangerously quick and easy (takes about 5 seconds and authenticates with a fingerprint on my iPhone). For me the stumbling block was that the bank had my name formatted weirdly and I had to input it into WeChat verbatim. Going to the bank and having them print out my account information revealed the way that they wrote my name.

    #47727
    Avatar photoJerryS
    Participant

    I was able to use wexin to buy meals, the specials online. I have ICBC (online buying avail) and by entering my card number and create a password, i am able to purchase things online. I can use alipay too, but there are too much passwords i have to remember for it so i dont bother with it.

    #47730
    Avatar photoj.slemmer
    Participant

    I use it quite a bit.

    aying for dinners when I forgot to bring cash again

    Buying things on meituan and pay through my wechat wallet (balance or bank, depending on how much I got in the wallet)

    It’s pretty awesome.

    #47776
    Avatar photogojira
    Keymaster

    To set-up Alipay for foreigners, check this link  (I’ve tested the same and Alipay did sent a small amount to my bank a/c and confirmed linking. You need to upload a scanned PDF/image copy of Passport and VISA+entry stamp.)

    Never try to sign-up Alipay with mobile number. If you sign-up with mobile, they need ID and you will fail sign-up process. Foreigners must register with email. If this helps you, please share this info.

     

    #47787
    Avatar photochengdutexan
    Participant

    Hey y’all.

    I was able to load my USA Visa Credit Card info into the wallet.

    I successfully used WeChat Wallet to pay for a Qunar Airline Ticket from an Agent with WeChat Wallet and my linked USA credit card. My credit card has no forex fees, so 🙂

    I can’t send direct money via WeChat Wallet and my US credit Card, but if it’s an official payment-vendor set-up, then I can use it without problem.

     

    #47818
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    To set-up Alipay for foreigners, check this link (I’ve tested the same and Alipay did sent a small amount to my bank a/c and confirmed linking. You need to upload a scanned PDF/image copy of Passport and VISA+entry stamp.) Never try to sign-up Alipay with mobile number. If you sign-up with mobile, they need ID and you will fail sign-up process. Foreigners must register with email. If this helps you, please share this info.

    Awesome, this information is very helpful. Thanks for posting it.

    #47823
    Avatar photoChris Ziich
    Moderator

    Hey y’all. I was able to load my USA Visa Credit Card info into the wallet. I successfully used WeChat Wallet to pay for a Qunar Airline Ticket from an Agent with WeChat Wallet and my linked USA credit card. My credit card has no forex fees, so :) I can’t send direct money via WeChat Wallet and my US credit Card, but if it’s an official payment-vendor set-up, then I can use it without problem.

    This would change everything for me. I haven’t been able to add my card though because I can’t receive the confirmation code via SMS on my Chinese number. It asks for your region, billing address, and phone number. I’ve tried different combos of Chengdu/US in the region and US/Chinese phone numbers, but I never get the SMS. lame.

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