DiDi and Taxis in China

Foreign visitors can use the DiDi Greater China app with supported foreign phone numbers and international cards, or open DiDi inside Alipay. The hard part is usually the pickup point: airports, rail stations, malls and multi-level streets can separate you from the driver by several roads or floors.

Set Up Before You Need a Ride

Download the official app or use the verified Alipay service. Register, add a payment method and test the map while on reliable internet. The Chinese government visitor guide confirms support for foreign phone numbers and international credit cards in the DiDi Greater China app.

Save:

• hotel name and entrance in Chinese;
• exact airport terminal or station;
• a second payment method;
• one local emergency contact or hotel front desk;
• screenshots of the destination, not of a driver you have not booked.

The phone number must receive SMS

DiDi and similar apps accept a foreign phone number and an international card. Sign-up uses an SMS code, however, and a data-only travel eSIM has no number and receives nothing.

• Before you fly: register while your home SIM still receives texts.
• Payment: link payment before your first ride.
• Talking to the driver: the in-app chat translates both ways between Chinese and English.
• If you cannot get an SMS: use the official taxi rank. Metered cabs need no registration.

Choose the Exact Pin

Search the Chinese POI and compare it with AMap. A hotel can have a lobby entrance, vehicle entrance and service road on different sides. In Chongqing, two entrances may also sit on different vertical levels.

At an airport or railway station, follow signs to the designated online ride-hailing area. Do not request a curb where stopping is prohibited. The driver may send a bay number, color zone or floor; use translation and match the physical sign.

Treat the pickup area as a small journey of its own. Some hubs place it in a named parking-garage floor or animal/color zone; others require the car's plate to be entered at a kiosk before the driver can access a controlled waiting lane. Do not order from baggage claim and assume the pin is enough. First find the current sign, then select the exact zone in the app, and finally exchange the bay or column number with the driver.

Verify Before Entering

Match all three:

1. license plate;
2. car make/color;
3. driver photo/name where shown.

Ask the driver to confirm the last digits or destination rather than announcing all booking details to someone beside the queue. Sit where the group is comfortable, use the seat belt and share trip status with a trusted contact when useful.

Never follow a person who claims the app ride has been canceled and offers an off-platform replacement. Cancel only in the app after checking the reason and fee.

DiDi vs a Street Taxi

For a taxi, use the official queue, ask for the meter and keep the printed or digital receipt. Show the Chinese address. Tolls and airport surcharges can be legitimate; an unsolicited fixed price from a tout is not the same as a regulated fare.

Payment and Extra Charges

DiDi normally charges the linked method after the trip. Review tolls, waiting, parking or cleaning charges in the receipt. Do not pay cash again merely because the driver points at the total if the app already shows successful payment.

Never pay cash on top of an app order. In September 2026, a foreign trade-fair visitor in Shanghai handed a driver ¥200 cash at the airport without knowing the fare is charged in the app. The trip stayed unpaid on the account and blocked further bookings. The next day another driver took ¥149 in cash outside the car. Support then insisted that each order be handled separately, from the phone number that booked it.

• If you are asked for cash on an app trip: refuse, point to the app, and report the trip in the app straight away.
• If someone else booked for you: ask them to check that the payment went through.

If payment fails, do not create several unpaid orders. Switch to the backup wallet or contact in-app support. The Alipay guide covers international-card setup and payment fallbacks.

Airports and Stations

Use the terminal-specific pickup instructions in the airport transfer guide. A legal taxi rank is often easier with heavy luggage; a ride-hailing car can be cheaper or clearer when the pickup garage is understood.

At large stations, save the exit and pickup floor before the train arrives. Do not cross live traffic or climb a barrier to reach a driver at the wrong zone. Ask the driver to wait while you walk to the signed bay, and accept a cancellation if the route cannot be reconciled safely.

Airport and station layouts change. A recent route video or screenshot can help you understand the walking pattern, but the live overhead signs and the transport hub's current instructions override it.

Useful Chinese Messages

我在网约车上车点，A区12号。
Wǒ zài wǎngyuēchē shàngchē diǎn, A qū shí'èr hào.
I am at the ride-hailing pickup point, Zone A, Bay 12.

请在酒店大堂入口停车。
Qǐng zài jiǔdiàn dàtáng rùkǒu tíngchē.
Please stop at the hotel lobby entrance.

车牌号不一样，我不能上车。
Chēpái hào bù yíyàng, wǒ bù néng shàngchē.
The license plate is different; I cannot get in.

When Something Goes Wrong

• Driver cannot find you: send a photo of the official zone sign, not personal documents.
• Wrong destination: stop the change in the app and restate the Chinese POI.
• Unsafe driving or harassment: end the ride in a safe public place, retain trip details and contact platform support or police when necessary.
• Item left behind: use the trip record and in-app lost-item channel; do not publish the driver's private information.
• App unavailable: use the official taxi queue, hotel desk or public transport.

Final Rule

The correct car at the correct signed pickup point is safer than the first person offering a ride. Keep the transaction on-platform or on the taxi meter, preserve the receipt and never surrender your passport as security.