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Alipay review

Updated September 28, 2026 · VaultCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Alipay suits travellers who need to pay and send money in China and want a wallet with a monthly fee of CNY 0, taking an overall score of 7.3. Money is held free of charge, but transfers carry 3% over RMB 200 and support runs on email only.

Key facts

Best for
A fee-free wallet for daily payments and payouts in China.
Monthly fee
CN¥0↗
Currencies
18↗
Transfer fee
3% over RMB 200↗
Legal entity
Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co. Ltd↗
Headquarters
China↗
Founded
2004↗
Support channels
Email↗
Audience
Travelers
Pricing model
No monthly fee
Features
Digital-only
Official website
alipay.com

Money transfer

Delivery time
Within minutes (bank-to-wallet)↗
Payout methods
Bank, Wallet↗
Fee to send 1,000
CN¥0↗

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 7 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App Store
Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaX

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Monthly fee of CNY 0 puts it 1 of 500 brands on this measure.
  • Currency reach of 18 sits above the 5 median for multi-currency accounts.
  • Payouts reach a bank or a wallet, and bank-to-wallet remittances land within minutes.
  • The account is digital only, so there is no counter to visit.

Cons

  • Transfer charges apply: the quoted transfer fee is 3% over RMB 200.
  • Support runs on email only, so a blocked payment has to be chased in writing.
  • Currency reach is mid table: 18 currencies ranks 62 of 379.
Alipay

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Scored 9.0 / 10 by VaultCue.

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Who it suits

  • Travellers heading to China who want to pay and send money from a phone.
  • Anyone who wants a wallet with a monthly fee of CNY 0 and 18 currencies.
  • People already paying in China who also need to receive money from abroad.

Who should look elsewhere

  • PayPal Colombia, if a wallet in US dollars suits you better than paying in renminbi, with a monthly fee of $0.
  • Skrill, if you would rather hold euros in one account than carry 18 currencies.
  • eToro, if you want everyday money on a trading platform, whose monthly fee is £0, rather than a payments wallet.

Fees and FX

Alipay charges a monthly fee of CNY 0, so keeping the account open costs nothing. The cost sits on transfers, where the quoted charge is 3% over RMB 200 once an amount in renminbi passes a threshold. Free to hold, but the price of moving money depends on what you send, so check that line before a large transfer.

The company behind it

Alipay is run by Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co. Ltd, founded in 2004 and headquartered in China. Support runs on email only, so a blocked payment or a verification query is handled in writing rather than by a person on the phone. That matters most for travellers setting the wallet up before a trip.

How Alipay compares

Frequently asked questions

Does Alipay charge a monthly fee?+

The monthly fee is CNY 0, so there is nothing to pay for keeping the account open. That puts Alipay alongside PayPal Colombia, Skrill and eToro, whose monthly fees are $0, €0 and £0.

What does it cost to send or top up money?+

Transfer pricing is where the cost sits. The quoted transfer fee is 3% over RMB 200, and the consumer side fee is CNY 0. Since the account costs nothing to hold, the amount you send matters more than how often you send it, and the threshold is worth checking before a large transfer.

How many currencies can I hold in Alipay?+

Alipay covers 18 currencies, above the 5 median for multi-currency accounts, though below the widest wallets on the site. It ranks 62 of 379 brands on this measure, so it is a working set rather than a full travel wallet.

Who runs Alipay and where is it based?+

The service is run by Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co. Ltd, founded in 2004 and headquartered in China. The account is digital only, so everything runs through the app and there is no branch to visit when a payment needs checking.

How do I get my money out?+

Payouts go to a bank account or another wallet, and bank-to-wallet remittances land within minutes, which suits paying bills in China without waiting on an international wire. Support for both routes runs on email only, so a rejected payout has to be chased in writing.

How fast are transfers and payments?+

The wallet is digital only and bank-to-wallet remittances arrive within minutes, which is the quickest part of the service. Money already in the wallet moves straight across, while anything that has to clear a bank takes longer. For a traveller paying on arrival, that short window matters.

What help is there if a payment is blocked?+

Support runs on email only, so queries are handled in writing rather than by phone. That is the route for verification problems, disputed payments and top-ups that do not clear. It suits people comfortable describing a problem in writing, and suits others less if a blocked payment stops them paying on the spot.

Sources

Compiled from 9 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Licence type, Deposit protection, Currency conversion fee.

Alipay

Alipay

A fee-free wallet for daily payments and payouts in China.

9.0/10See alternatives