Two apps run the country
WeChat Pay and Alipay between them cover almost every payment you will make outside a hospital cashier. Both now accept foreign Visa and Mastercard directly, which means you can arrive with a working payment method and no Chinese bank account.
Set both up before you fly. Verification usually sends a code to your home number, and receiving that code after you have left is harder than doing it at home. Add your card, complete identity verification with your passport, and make one small test payment while you still have your usual phone signal.
| What you are paying for | How it is usually paid |
|---|---|
| Taxi, metro top-up, convenience store | WeChat Pay or Alipay |
| Restaurant, coffee, pharmacy | WeChat Pay or Alipay, occasionally cash |
| Hospital registration and outpatient fees | Hospital cashier: card, Alipay, WeChat, sometimes cash |
| Hospital inpatient deposit | Cashier, bank transfer, or card — check the limit first |
| Hotel | Card at the desk; the booking platform already took a deposit |
Cash still works, but bring small notes
Cash is legal tender and no one will refuse it. What has changed is change itself: many small vendors no longer keep coins or small notes because so little cash passes through. A 100-yuan note for a 12-yuan purchase can be genuinely awkward.
Bring a few hundred yuan in 20s and 50s as a backstop for the day your phone dies or an app locks you out. Do not bring your whole budget in cash — that creates a different problem.
The deposit is the payment that actually matters
For inpatient surgery, Chinese hospitals ask for a deposit before the procedure — typically 30,000–80,000 CNY, higher for cardiac, transplant and oncology cases. It is held against your final bill, not spent, and the balance comes back at discharge.
Three things to check in writing before you travel:
- The amount, and whether it is charged again mid-stay if the bill runs past it.
- How it is paid — cashier card, bank transfer, or cash. Some hospitals want a domestic transfer, which is difficult from abroad.
- How it is refunded — to the same card, and how long that takes. A refund to a foreign card can take longer than the original charge, and occasionally needs a branch visit.
Tell your bank before you travel if the deposit will exceed your single-transaction limit. A declined card at the cashier on the morning of surgery is a bad way to start the day.
Foreign cards: where they work and where they do not
At the international department, Visa and Mastercard are commonly accepted, sometimes with a one to three percent surcharge. At the public cashier, often not — UnionPay, WeChat Pay and Alipay are the default, and a foreign card may simply be refused.
This matters if you chose the cheaper public route. Carry a linked Alipay or WeChat balance as well as a card, and expect to pay the deposit through one of those rather than by card.
What the trip actually costs beyond the operation
The hospital bill is rarely the whole cost. Budget separately for:
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Flights, return | Varies widely by origin and season |
| Accommodation near the hospital | 200–800 CNY per night |
| Food and local transport | 100–250 CNY per day |
| Companion's costs | Doubles the accommodation and food lines |
| Follow-up visits after discharge | Registration plus consultation each time |
Patients routinely underestimate the last two. A companion for three weeks is not a small line item, and follow-up visits are not included in the surgical package.
What we do not do with money
We do not collect your hospital charges. You pay the hospital directly, at its own rate, and we never hold or advance that money on your behalf. Our fee is separate, flat and agreed in writing before any work starts.
That is a deliberate limit rather than a convenience we have not got round to. It keeps your hospital money out of our accounts, and it means the number you are quoted by the hospital is the number the hospital receives.