What are the fees and limits on a foreign card in Alipay / WeChat Pay?

Fees are the settled part. In both apps a payment of ¥200 or less carries no extra fee; above ¥200 a 3% fee is charged on the whole transaction amount (¥250 → ¥7.50). That is the rate in the government's official payment guide for both Alipay and WeChat Pay. Refund handling and the exchange rate you finally pay follow your card network, your issuer and the app's own terms — check the payment screen and your statement rather than assuming the mid-market rate.

WeChat Pay promotion: Beijing's city government reported in May 2025 that first-time international-card binders pay no fee for 60 days on transactions under ¥1,000 (saving at most ¥30 each), and was still listing it in March 2026. The exact conditions — per transaction or per day, who qualifies, when it ends — are WeChat's to state, so treat it as a bonus if the app shows it, not something to plan around. Alipay has no officially confirmed equivalent.

Limits are layered. The policy ceiling: after the 2024 payment-facilitation push, the official guide gives both wallets US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 a year. The product page: WeChat Pay's international-card help page still publishes ¥6,500 per transaction, ¥50,000 a month and ¥65,000 a year. Your account: verification status, your issuer and dynamic risk checks can each set a lower figure than either of those.

Traveller reports describe much lower practical caps on fresh cards — a few hundred yuan per payment rising with use, and occasional cuts after a large transaction. None of this is confirmed by the apps; read it as “risk tiers exist”, not as the rule.

Practical reading: budget the 3% on anything over ¥200 (hotel bills, train tickets, larger meals). Before a large payment, check the wallet's available limit inside the app, and keep a physical card or cash as the fallback.