Prepaid and virtual cards don't work

What's happening

Alipay and WeChat Pay tourist mode requires a real bank-issued physical Visa or Mastercard. Prepaid travel cards, virtual card numbers (Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank-generated), and airport-issued forex cards may be rejected — they often lack the real-name binding that the apps require.

Steps to fix it

1. 1You need a physical Visa or Mastercard from a real bank — not a prepaid or virtual card.
2. 2If you have a regular bank debit/credit card at home, use that instead.
3. 3Wise: sign up at wise.com before your trip. They issue a real physical Mastercard debit that works on Alipay/WeChat.
4. 4Revolut: same — sign up, get a physical card, and link it.
5. 5A card that charges no foreign transaction fee (check your card's own terms) avoids your bank's additional charge on top of the Alipay/WeChat fee.