Use PayPal? You’ll soon be able to use it to pay in China. It’ll work by scanning WeChat Pay QR codes. The added function was recently announced by Tencent and sets out to make life significantly easier for foreign visitors navigating China’s essentially cashless economy. But it’s not all good news…
The new feature will launch for U.S.-based PayPal users only. You’ll have to wait if you’re from any other country – how long you’ll have to wait is also unclear, though the addition of other markets is confirmed.
For anyone who lives or has travelled in China recently, the PayPal WeChat link up will be big news. Mobile payments have become the default way to pay. Be it in taxis or at convenience stores, restaurants, tourist attractions – you name it – you’ll likely never touch cash. Though accepted – along with most foreign bank cards – it’s simply less convenient than QR-code payments.
The payment partnership can be seen through the frame of China pushing to improve the visitor experience. Beijing has spent the past two years expanding visa-free entry policies, restoring international flight capacity in an effort to boost tourism. Practical barriers like cashless payments were sure to be next in the firing line.
And – policy wise – so far, so good. China welcomed more than 35 million foreign visitors in 2025 – a number that surpassed the roughly 32 million pre-pandemic numbers. Tencent has noticed this in their pocket: Spending by overseas visitors on WeChat Pay rose nearly 80% year-on-year during the first four months of 2026.
The immediate commercial impact of the PayPal WeChat feature may not be grand given relatively low numbers of U.S. tourists visiting China. But the partnership does mean something big for tourists: a pretty big point of friction removed in a country where QR codes are the backbone of daily commerce.
