FAQ

China has arguably the best food delivery ecosystem in the world. Meituan alone handles over 60 million orders per day. You can get anything — hot pot, bubble tea, groceries, medicine — delivered to your door in under 30 minutes, often for under $5. But if you’re a foreign traveler who can’t read Chinese, ordering food can feel impossible. Here’s what actually works, based on real traveler experiences. The first thing to know: cash won’t help you Chinese law says vendors must accept cash. In practice? Almost no one does. Street vendors, restaurants, even taxi drivers expect you to scan a QR code. Pulling out a ¥100 bill at a noodle shop will earn you a confused stare and possibly a refusal. ...

The short answer: 90% of tourists don’t need a Chinese phone number. But here’s how to know if you’re in the 10%. What Works WITHOUT a Chinese Number Task How Status Pay everywhere Alipay + foreign card ✅ Works Ride-hail (DiDi) Alipay mini-program ✅ Works Metro/Subway Alipay QR in 40+ cities ✅ Works Food delivery Ele.me in Alipay ✅ Works Google/WhatsApp Via international eSIM (firewall bypass) ✅ Works Hotel booking Trip.com in English ✅ Works Train tickets Trip.com in English ✅ Works What NEEDS a Chinese Number Task Why Didi standalone app Requires +86 SMS verification Meituan standalone app China’s biggest food delivery app 12306 train tickets China Railway official app Some restaurant QR ordering ~30% of restaurants use WeChat mini-programs that require a +86 login Ride-hail in smaller cities Outside tier-1 cities, Didi mini-program may be less reliable The ¥8 Solution If you decide you need one, get the ¥8/month number retention plan (8元保号套餐). ...