European wallet. Chinese QR codes.

China pays by QR code. Now you can too.

Bluecode is accepted wherever you see Alipay in China. You pay by QR code like everyone else, but with your European wallet.

Set up at home. Top up in euro. Keep your personal data in Europe.

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In China, people pay with QR codes.

International cards are mostly not accepted. Cash is a hassle.

Over a billion people in China pay by QR code – at the supermarket, the convenience store, the pharmacy, the café. International cards rarely work outside hotels and big malls. And cash is so rarely used that registers often have no change, and many cafés or vending machines don’t take it at all. For everyday shopping, the QR code is the norm.

Cashier in a Chinese café. A customer is scanning the merchant's QR code at the counter

Until now you needed a Chinese app.

Now you can pay with your European app.

For Europeans, paying in China used to mean installing Alipay or WeChat Pay: registering with your phone number, your passport and an international card – with your personal data stored in China, plus fees and limits on top.

With Bluecode, you use the same QR codes, but through a European wallet you set up at home - under EU data protection.

💡 Bluecode is an Austrian-Swiss payment solution built and processed in Europe. Since September 2026 it is the first European app that pays in mainland China.

Bluecode app showing a welcome to China screen, a QR code and a payment confirmation in euro

For Europeans traveling to China.

Secure setup, no extra fees.

Everything happens in one European app – no second app, no separate registration.

Set up at home

Download Bluecode, create your Balance account and verify your identity once. A few minutes, in your language.

Top up Balance in Euro

Transfer money from your European bank account to your Balance. Instant transfer recommended.

Pay via local QR codes in China

Scan the merchant’s QR code or show yours. You see the amount in euro before you confirm.

Good exchange rates. No extra fees.

Alipay+ provides attractive exchange rates with every payment. No extra user fees charged by Bluecode.

Processed in Europe.

We process every payment in Europe, under European law, data protection and security standards. Your personal data stays in Europe.

Traveller with smartphone in front of the Shanghai skyline

Everyday shopping, covered.

Pay where you see Alipay.

Supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, drugstores, cafés, restaurants, shops in malls – wherever the Alipay logo is at the register, Bluecode works.

💡 Good to know: Street-food stalls, market vendors, and some taxis use personal QR codes linked to a private Alipay or WeChat account. Payments to those count as person-to-person transfers, which don’t work with Bluecode – or with any foreign wallet. The same applies to scan-to-order QR codes at some smaller restaurants.

Best done a few days before you fly.

Before you go.

You’ll need:

A residential address in an EEA country
An App Store or Google Play account set to a European country
A European bank account for topping up in euro

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Download Bluecode

Get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Verify your identity

Verify once with your ID. For small amounts you’re ready right away; for top-ups above €150, full verification is required – it can take a few days, so don’t leave it to the airport.

Top up in euro

Transfer money from your European bank account to your Balance. Instant transfer recommended.

Good to know.

Good questions, honest answers.

What travellers ask us most about paying in China.

There are two ways to pay with QR codes.

Scan to pay:

Open the Bluecode app
Tap the camera icon
Scan the merchant’s QR code
Confirm the payment or enter the amount manually
Done!

Show your code (be scanned):

Open the Bluecode app
Show your QR code or barcode
The merchant scans your code
Confirm the payment
Done!

At merchants that accept Alipay: supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, cafés, restaurants, shops in malls. Not via personal QR codes linked to a private account – often used by street stalls, market vendors and some taxis.

No. You pay straight from the Bluecode app wherever Alipay is accepted at the checkout. No separate Alipay or WeChat account needed.

Most merchants accept both. If you only see a WeChat code, Bluecode won’t work there – ask for Alipay.

Bluecode charges no fees for payments in China. You see the exchange rate and the euro amount before you confirm.

Technically yes – if you have a residential address in the EEA and your App Store or Google Play account is set to a European country. But we strongly recommend setting it up before you fly: identity verification (KYC) can take a few days, and you may not be able to pay until it’s complete.

Yes, any time from your European bank account.

Alipay never learns who you are. When you pay, your Bluecode app shows a one-time transaction token – that’s all the merchant’s terminal sends on, together with the merchant’s data. The token is resolved and the payment processed by Bluecode in Europe, under European law. The only thing that goes back to the network is one word: approved or declined. Alipay+ never receives your name, ID documents, phone number, or bank details. It only receives a pseudonymous ID and transaction details. For the merchant it’s a regular Alipay payment – same terminal, same payout. Your side of the payment is handled by us, in Europe.

With Alipay or WeChat Pay, you register directly with the Chinese app – passport, phone number, credit card details, payment history. With Bluecode, you register once in a European app, and the network only ever sees the token.

Two European travellers looking at the skyline in Shanghai

Ready for China?

Sorted before you board.

Download Bluecode, verify once, top up in euro. Then pay like everyone else at the checkout.

Combining China with Hong Kong, Japan or Korea? Same app, same euro balance.
See all destinations →

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