Tip: Save the phrase cards you may need before you go out. If a translation app fails, you can show the image directly to a hotel clerk, driver, cashier, restaurant staff member, or police officer.
Save this before you pay. At a counter, show the Chinese line first. Use pinyin only if the cashier asks you to say it.
China is heavily mobile-payment based, but the real problem is often communication: whether Alipay (支付宝, Zhifubao) works, whether WeChat Pay (微信支付, Weixin Zhifu) works, whether your card is accepted, or what to do when payment fails.
Open this when a QR code fails, the price is unclear, or you need a cash/card backup.
Open this card at restaurants, convenience stores, malls, markets, coffee shops, ticket counters, and anywhere payment or shopping gets confusing.
How to use these at checkout
- Show the Chinese sentence before opening a long translation app conversation. Cashiers can usually act faster when the request is written clearly.
- Use pinyin only if the cashier is waiting for you to speak. Payment problems are stressful, so keep the request short and calm.
- Ask one payment question at a time. A crowded checkout line is the worst place for a long explanation.
- Screenshot the cards before shopping or taking a taxi. This helps with Alipay, WeChat Pay, cash, card backup, receipts, and unclear prices.
Payment phrases worth saving
Use it when: You need the price.
请问，多少钱？
Pinyin: Qingwen, duoshao qian?
How much is it?
Use it when: You want to use Alipay.
请问，可以用支付宝吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, keyi yong Zhifubao ma?
Can I use Alipay?
Use it when: You want to use WeChat Pay.
请问，可以用微信支付吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, keyi yong Weixin Zhifu ma?
Can I use WeChat Pay?
Use it when: Your payment fails.
付款失败了。
Pinyin: Fukuan shibai le.
The payment failed.
Use it when: You want to use cash.
请问，我可以付现金吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, wo keyi fu xianjin ma?
Can I pay cash?
Use it when: You want to use a bank card.
请问，我可以刷卡吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, wo keyi shuaka ma?
Can I pay by card?
Use it when: You want the cashier to scan your QR code.
请扫我的码。
Pinyin: Qing sao wo de ma.
Please scan my code.
Use it when: You will scan the shop’s QR code.
我扫您的码。
Pinyin: Wo sao nin de ma.
I will scan your QR code.
Use it when: You need a receipt.
请问，可以给我收据吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, keyi gei wo shouju ma?
Can I get a receipt?
Use it when: You are buying one item.
请问，这个多少钱一件？
Pinyin: Qingwen, zhege duoshao qian yi jian?
How much is this per piece?
Use it when: You need to ask about returns.
请问，可以退货吗？
Pinyin: Qingwen, keyi tuihuo ma?
Can I return this?
Use it when: You do not want help from a salesperson.
我只是看看，谢谢。
Pinyin: Wo zhishi kankan, xiexie.
I am just looking, thank you.
Where payment talk gets awkward
- If payment fails, do not panic. Try the other payment app, card, cash, or ask whether the shop has another QR code.
- Small vendors may not understand English app names. Show the Chinese: Alipay is 支付宝, WeChat Pay is 微信支付.
- A receipt and an official invoice are not always the same thing in China. For a simple traveler receipt, ask for 收据 first.
FAQ
Should I say Alipay or Zhifubao?
Try English first in big cities, but if the person looks confused, show 支付宝 or say `Zhifubao` slowly.
What if they only point at a QR code?
Open your payment app, choose scan, and scan their code. If that fails, show `付款失败了` and try another method.
Before checkout: save the failed-payment, cash, card, receipt, and price-check cards. They are most useful when the cashier line is moving.
Next: For unclear prices, read the vendor overcharging guide.