Editorial note: These apps are recommended for their usefulness to travelers. Some booking links on ChinaGoTrip may be affiliate links, as explained in our affiliate disclosure.

Plane Tickets / Train Tickets / Attractions Tickets

In China, there are official websites and apps for booking train and plane tickets:

Attraction tickets may be sold through an official website, an official WeChat mini program, or a major booking platform. The correct channel and foreign-passport support vary by attraction.

China Railway 12306 has an English website and app, but some local attraction channels remain Chinese-first.

Real-name services may ask for passport details or identity verification. Set up payment and upload your passport to 12306 before tickets open, rather than waiting until the day of travel.

For the complete process—from passport verification and station selection to boarding and city transport—read the China trains and transport guide.

So China Go Trip recommends the following app:

Trip.com

Book plane tickets, train tickets, and attractions tickets.

Payment Apps

The most popular payment method in China currently is digital payment. The most widely accepted ones are Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Linked International Card Coverage

Payment Coverage	Alipay	WeChat Pay
In-store purchase	Usually	Usually
Online purchase	Varies	Varies
DiDi (taxi service)	Usually	Usually
Food delivery order	Varies	Varies
Taobao (online purchase)	Varies	Varies
Jingdong (online purchase)	Varies	Varies
Peer transfers	Usually unavailable	Usually unavailable
Train/plane ticket purchase	Varies by seller	Varies by seller
Bike-sharing app payment	Usually	Varies
Ticket booking	Varies	Varies

The most convenient payment method for foreign tourists visiting China is Alipay. Alipay is a leading open platform for payments and digital services in China.

Foreign visitors to China can connect their credit card to take advantage of Alipay’s widespread acceptance by tens of millions of merchants across the country. It is easy to register and widely accepted in China.

For more information, please refer to the following article:

How to use Alipay in China

How to register and connect your card to Alipay and how to use it in China.

WeChat (Weixin) is a popular social app in China, and WeChat Pay is its built-in payment service.

WeChat Pay is one of the most widely used payment methods in China. From modern cities to remote villages, from high-end restaurants to street food vendors, from online shopping to in-store purchases, WeChat Pay is accepted almost everywhere. You can use it to pay for transportation, food delivery, tickets, and virtually any service or product in China.

For more information, please refer to the following article:

How to use WeChat Pay in China

How to register and connect your card to WeChat Pay and how to use it in China.

China has several popular navigation and mapping applications that are specifically designed for use within mainland China. These apps provide detailed coverage of Chinese cities, points of interest, and real-time traffic information.

For more information, please refer to the following article:

Navigation Apps in China

How to choose the best navigation app in China.

Ride-hailing Apps

DiDi is a widely used ride-hailing service in China and supports an English interface, overseas phone numbers, and in-app translation. Available vehicle categories vary by city.

Didi Rider

Ride-hailing app in China.

Amap now offers an English interface and ride-hailing for international users, so it is a useful alternative when you already use it for navigation.

Amap Map

Amap is a popular navigation and mapping app in China.

Food Delivery Apps

Meituan and Ele.me are major food-delivery apps in China. Their interfaces and merchant listings remain largely Chinese, and delivery usually requires a precise Chinese address and a reachable phone number. The Ele.me mini app inside English-language Alipay can be easier for a short visit.