No Chinese Phone Number? Which Apps Work and Fixes

Which apps need a Chinese number, and which do not?

Most apps a visitor needs take a foreign number, but a few add steps. One traveller wrote that “many apps require a Chinese phone number” (r/guangzhou, November 11, 2025). The table separates what official sources say from what travellers report. “+86” is China’s country code, so “needs +86?” means “needs a mainland number”.

For the sources of the app list, see apps you need in China.

How do I make DiDi work?

Use DiDi China: Ride Hailing, not DiDi Rider. Register with a number that can get a text. A traveller who used an eSIM in Beijing said in February 2026 that they “couldn’t order a DiDi and only a taxi because I don’t have a local number” (r/guangzhou). Official pages do not explain that case, so check the SMS first. Keep your home SIM active for the code and use an eSIM for data, as covered in eSIM, roaming or local SIM. More in the Didi guide. One traveller suggests saving the last four digits of your Didi number as a picture to show the driver (r/guangzhou, December 27, 2025).

How do I book trains without a Chinese number?

The MTR High Speed Rail site says 12306 asks every passenger for a phone number that can receive texts, and accepts only mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan numbers for that step. It also says the English platform accepts account registration with an email address for foreign passport holders, and that you can add a mainland number later for verification. The MTR notes that 12306 accepts international credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, UnionPay and WeChat Pay Hong Kong. The 12306 FAQ says only valid foreign passports are accepted, and sales run 05:00 to 01:00 the next day (05:00 to 23:30 on Tuesday).

If 12306 will not work for you, Trip.com is a card-paying alternative; its trains page says your passport number acts as the ticket. Steps are in how to buy train tickets in China.

What about payments?

Alipay is the safest start. Link a card at home and see Alipay and WeChat Pay for foreigners. Keep some yuan too: cash, ATMs and exchange covers where to get it.

WeChat Pay with a foreign-number account is less certain. A traveller wrote that their WeChat with an international number often failed for payment (r/guangzhou, March 9, 2026), and WeChat’s own newsroom page (December 19, 2024) gives no further detail on number rules. Treat WeChat Pay as the second app.

Will a travel eSIM give me a Chinese number?

We found no sourced travel eSIM plan that comes with a mainland number. Our eSIM guide says most data-only travel eSIMs do not include a number for texts, and vendor blogs describe routing, not numbers. Vendor claims are marketing, so read a plan’s own description before you buy. The most reliable plan, per the sources we have, is to keep your home SIM active for texts and use the eSIM for data.

iPhoto: Andrew Vi · Public domain Details

What do travellers report as workarounds?

These are reports, not our tests:

• Keep the home SIM on roaming for texts, and buy a data eSIM for apps.
• Buy a local SIM at the airport and register it with your passport. A traveller says sellers are in front of the arrivals gate (r/guangzhou, February 26, 2026). We could not verify prices or rules, so ask the counter for the total.
• Use Trip.com for bookings so you avoid Alipay and WeChat linking.
• Have a passport photo ready for bike apps (r/guangzhou, March 7, 2026).

Real-name registration, which means linking a service to your identity, was called “the biggest pain for tourists in China right now” by one poster, who also added an eSIM link, so read it as promotional. For trains, 12306 uses passport verification.