Nice. I'll be going on 29 November to 7 December.
Planning for Jiuzhaigou (Jiuzhai Valley National Park)

Clothes, electronics.
Shenzhen very famous for electronic street.
I like their Laojie, so many things to shop.

no

Credit cards are accepted.
I paid for my restaurant bills mostly via Paywave Visa

12306 app

I use my email to register.

Huh? You referring to the website or phone app?
I use iOS 12306 and never once they ask for phone number.

Didi Alipay expensive.
Generally I use amap taxi, cheaper.

If so, then you have to resort to trip.com if the train tickets are in high demand.
Else can buy when in China, register yourself a sim card.

Which train tickets & date you aiming for? I can use my app check

This post has been edited by Icehart: Dec 17 2024, 06:45 PM

Plenty of tickets left.
But 12306 already open for reservation.
When are you reaching China?

Yes. But not all high speed station can do so.
Btw I just checked, still plenty of seats left for your trip and date.

You can access through Amap app. But this would need a Chinese phone number.

Case in point, Chengdu SKP to Chengdu City is around 35 RMB via Didi, but 24 via Amap taxi.

Anything on dedicated apps, you need China number.
Anything via Alipay mini apps, no need China number.

Also roaming can buy from trip.com. Easy.

Those eSIM are from HK, so of course can access WhatsApp, Facebook etc.

How much is Digi Roaming?

From the website Digi Roaming 7 days with 2GB/Day is RM 58
In trip.com similar service is RM 28

You can use WeChat pay. I got it activated by scanning payment QR in China, and it redirects me to scan passport etc.

WeChat is more convenient to use in China compared to Alipay. You get access to menu, discounts and special promotions (Such as B1F1).

That's WeChat Malaysia.
WeChat China can accept Malaysian cards. If you're new user, they'll even waive transaction fees (3% for anything above 200RMB) for 7 days.

You can scan and order via QR at tables and pay via WeChat.

But here's a tip. Always search via Mei Tuan to see if there's any discount. Sometimes they have 10% discount for every 100 RMB, or you can also checkout their menu package. It's more worth it and can sometime offer up to 50% off. You don't need a China number to use this.

No, only China number.

You can open bank account with passport and tourist visa now, especially if from Malaysia.

By testing do you mean using the Alipay app in Malaysia stores? It will not work.
But don't worry. Wise card + Alipay will work in China.
Spending more than 200RMB will incur 3% charge.
My best tip - Wise card isn't the best. The best card for foreign spending is none other than TnG Visa.

Work 100%? OG is WeChat Pay China.
Alipay sometime does not work or isn't accepted in remote areas, such as paying for bus fare/tickets in Jiuzhaigou.

Malaysians setting up WeChat Pay CN just need to upload passport scan and wait for verification pass, which is usually quite fast.

I've never used Alipay other than their QR Transport code after using WeChat.
Most of the payment, ordering are all in WeChat.

Anyway, if the merchant or shop uses personal QR, what payment method will not work, unless you buy WeChat/Alipay balance. They don't allow card transactions for personal transfers.
TouchNGo doesn't work if the merchant QR is personal QR. It will say QR code invalid (Similar issue in TH Promptpay).

This post has been edited by Icehart: May 20 2025, 11:42 PM