Setting up WeChat wallet for the first time can be very frustrating, and involve a lot of yelling. Once you have it working and making your daily transaction convenient and fast, your life in China will be vastly happier and easier.

Setting up WeChat wallet for the first time can be very frustrating, and involve a lot of yelling. Once you have it working and making your daily transaction convenient and fast, your life in China will be vastly happier and easier.

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Which Bank Should I Choose?

First, have the right bank card and have your information in that bank very clear. Use a major Chinese bank with many branches providing service in English for foreigners. China Merchants Bank, The Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), are going to make this the easiest. 

Also, different banks give different limitation on daily expenditure, see the picture below, the number at the first line is the limitation of every payment, the second line is the limitation of daily payment. ICBC enables you to make a payment of 100 thousand every day!

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Second, make sure you know how the bank entered your name in their system, exactly. Check your bank registration papers, they may have entered it wrong, with names they can’t read easily.

 Enable WeChat Pay

Third, ask the bank to enable WeChat Pay when you apply for a new bank card, you are required to leave a valid phone number. When you add the bank card to WeChat wallet, one of the steps is to input the verification code, so you to make sure the phone number works.


If you have an existing card, just ask the bank to make WeChat be allowed, and they should understand that.

 After finishing all the bank card preparation, you could try to set up WeChat wallet!

Follow Steps to Set up WeChat Wallet

Follow the steps to add a bank card to WeChat wallet.

  • Click the right bottom “Me” then choose “Wallet”

  •  Click the upper right corner “Cards”

  •  Choose”Add a Card”

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  • Input you bank card number

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  • Your card type automatically shows after you put the card number.

  • Input your name and make sure your name is right. The name is going to be in all capital letters, with no spaces, and it will look like this “LASTFIRSTMIDDLE”. 

  •  Click in “ID Card” then you can choose to use passport number to register. 

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    Hit the picture above to see details

  • Wait for one minute to get the verification code and put it into the bar, resend it if you don’t receive the message.

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    • After all these steps, you succeed to add a bank card to WeChat wallet.

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    Add More Bank Cards

    Steps are the same as above to add more bank cards, but you don’t have to input your name again. You will need to have the exact same name, as the first card you put in. The name you register your first bank card under in WeChat is permanent and unchangeable. 

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    How to Deal with Bank Card Problems on WeChat?

    Finally, if you have problems, go to your bank and nicely talk to them, until it works. If they have good service, they can even set it up for you. Just talk to them “I want…zhe ge” in pinyin and wave your phone in front of them showing the WeChat wallet setup section, and breath.

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