Opening a Chinese Alipay Account and Connecting it to a Bank Account
Anyone can open an Alipay account and a Chinese bank account.
Alipay Account
To open an Alipay account you will need a smart phone and Chinese mobile number.
Getting a Chinese Mobile Number:
China Mobile and China Unicom are the two largest Chinese mobile operators. China Telecom is another major provider. ID cards are required to be registered with each purchase of SIM cards in China. Foreigners may need to use their passports and these can only be processed at the larger stores. In smaller cities, the company's main office may be the only places willing to sell SIM cards to people without ID cards.
From the app store download Alipay, Zhifubao (支付宝) in Chinese. Your Chinese number can also be your Alipay account number. You will need to enter your passport number when linking your Alipay account with a Chinese bank account. It is a good idea to ask the bank staff to help link your Alipay account to your bank account.
Alipay fees:
After RMB 20, 000 元 there is a fee of 0.1% when transferring money to a bank account from Alipay.
Chinese Bank Account (Mainland China)
Choose a bank you wish to open an account with.
Visit a branch with your passport and visa. A tourist visa is fine. Most banks require only one form of identification to open an account. Some, however, will require two documents. If a second document is requested a photo card driving licence will normally be acceptable.
If you are unable to speak Chinese, ask for an English-speaking member of staff.
When opening a bank account in China you will receive your debit card at time of opening the account. Most Chinese bank debit cards will not have the customer's name printed on them. Instead you will be assigned a ready printed card with either a 16- or 19-digit number. Addresses are generally not linked to bank accounts in China.
You will need to pay a small fee for opening the account, currently less than RMB 10 元.
Do not forget to ask them to help link your Alipay with your bank account. The name must match on both account and there are normally a number of ways your name could have been written. The Chinese surname comes first.
Alipay is a fast and convenient way to pay for anything, including bitcoin.