Sending money
How can I send Chinese Yuan (CNY) to an Alipay user with Wise?
Log into your Wise personal account and set up a transfer to CNY.
Choose or add a recipient.
Choose Alipay under Bank details,
Tell us who you’re sending to by entering your recipient's name and Alipay ID (email or phone number registered with Alipay). The recipient name is usually in Latin characters, and should match the name on their Chinese National ID.
Give some information about why you’re sending the money.
Check that all details are correct before paying for your transfer.
And that's it!
What types of payments are supported?
We support both personal and business customers sending to individuals in China via Alipay.
If you are an individual sending to another individual in China, it can only be for the following purposes:
Salary (remitting your own salary to your Alipay account in China)
Savings
Family support
Goods
Services
If you're a business sending to a personal account in China, make sure it's for one of these two purposes:
Salary
Services
You'll also need to provide us with your valid business registration number.
What countries and regions can I send from?
If you are an individual sending via Alipay, you can send from all countries and regions apart from China, Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Syria and the Ukraine regions: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
If you're a business sending with Alipay, you can only send from these countries and regions:
Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, British Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
Who can I send CNY to on Alipay?
Anyone can receive money via Alipay if they're a Chinese citizen, or are Hong Kong or Macau residents who hold the Mainland Travel Permit and are above 18 years old.
If you're a Hong Kong or Macau resident with a Mainland Travel Permit, you can only receive into your Alipay balance, and not the bank card tied to Alipay.
Your money will be sent to your recipient’s Alipay balance, or the bank card linked to their Alipay account. This is a choice your recipient can make when they receive the payment notification from Alipay. The money is paid out in seconds, depending on the receiving method. It should arrive within 72 hours after it's sent.
You can only send to individual recipients, and not businesses.
How much can I send?
The limit for each transfer is 50,000 CNY.
| Transfer purpose | Single amount limit | Max monthly frequency limit for recipient* | Max yearly frequency limit for recipient* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money to family** | 50,000 CNY | 10 | 600,000 CNY |
| Salary payment** | 50,000 CNY | 10 | 600,000 CNY |
| Savings | 50,000 CNY | 10 | 600,000 CNY |
| Goods | 50,000 CNY | No limit | 600,000 CNY |
| Services | 50,000 CNY | No limit | 300,000 CNY |
*This limit includes payments the recipient gets on their Alipay account from all services — not only Wise.
**The maximum number of transfers includes both payments made to the recipient's Alipay Balance, and their bank card linked to Alipay.
Receiving money
How does my recipient receive the money via Alipay?
Alipay users can get money with their Alipay balance or bank account linked to their Alipay account.
When your recipient gets an international transfer for the first time on Alipay, they'll get an SMS from Alipay with a unique URL.
They should click on it to open the Alipay app.
Your recipient can share their details from the Alipay App with you
On the app, complete real name authentication
Sign the service agreement
Select the receiving method — either Alipay wallet or bank card.
The recipient might need to give more information, like a copy of their ID card, or address for verification.
They'll need to finish those 4 steps in 72 hours to receive the money.
How can my recipient check the transfer status?
Once the transfer is sent, the recipient gets an SMS and a push notification with all transfer details.
For more information, view this step-by-step guide in English and Mandarin.
I gave the wrong recipient name or recipient Alipay ID. What should I do?
On the recipient creation page, Wise checks the recipient name and their connected Alipay ID. We display an error message on the screen if you enter the wrong name or ID.
What should I choose for transfer reason?
We have to comply with Chinese regulations, and the transfer reason for payments to Alipay users can only fall under these 4 categories:
Money to Family: Alipay might ask the recipient to sign and provide a kinship commitment letter that proves the relationship between you and your recipient.
Salary payment: Alipay might ask the recipient to show their payslip.
Goods: Alipay might ask the recipient to show an invoice or contract
Services: Alipay might ask the recipient to show an invoice or contract
If you are sending CNY to yourself via Alipay, you should choose “salary” as the transfer reason.
If your transfer reason is for Goods or Services, you'll be prompted to give more information by choosing a sub-transfer reason.
Alipay may also reach out to some recipients to ask for additional documents to support the transfer reason.
Why was my transfer cancelled?
Your transfer can be cancelled for different reasons. Sometimes, there are extra security checks on your account. There are also card binding settings on Alipay, which need to be finished within 72 hours of getting the notification. Your transfer could also be cancelled if your recipient has reached their receiving limit.
My recipient didn't get the transfer notification or SMS link.
Ask your recipient to contact the Alipay customer service via the App.
My recipient didn't get the money. What can I do?
Firstly, please check if your recipient finished the account compliance check or card binding settings on the Alipay app in the link sent by SMS. If they have, contact the Alipay customer support in the app.
My transfer failed. How can I find out why?
Contact Alipay customer support on the Alipay’s app to get help.
Why can I only get 10 payments per month?
To comply with Chinese regulations, the recipient can receive up to 10 payments per month if the payment reasons are “Money to Family” or “Salary payment”.
Can I cancel a transfer that I already sent?
You can't cancel a transfer that has been sent. If the recipient doesn't get the money in 72 hours, it'll be cancelled automatically, and the money will be refunded to you.