Can You Use Alipay or WeChat Pay in the Philippines? (2026)

Key takeaways

• Alipay+ on QR Ph since 1 September 2026. PPMI and Ant International say QR Ph merchants can receive Alipay+ payments through their existing codes.
• Wallets named for the Philippines: Alipay (accepted since 2017), plus AlipayHK, Touch 'n Go eWallet and Kakao Pay, added in September 2023.
• WeChat Pay needs a WeChat Pay merchant. AUB launched it in 2017; Metrobank Card and HitPay (June 2026) also sign up merchants.
• Cash still rules on jeepneys, many tricycles and small islands, so carry pesos whatever your app.

You land in Cebu from Hong Kong with AlipayHK on your phone and a few hundred pesos from the airport changer. The souvenir shop shows a QR Ph standee, the carinderia next door shows a GCash code, and the tricycle driver wants coins. Which of those can your home wallet pay? Since September 2026, more than you would think, but not all of them.

Can Alipay be used in the Philippines?

Yes. Filipino merchants have taken Alipay from mainland Chinese visitors since 2017 (Philstar, 29 September 2023), and back in 2018 GCash and Alipay launched a shared QR at Islands Souvenirs stores, where Alipay users scan with the Alipay app (SunStar, 29 June 2018).

The big change came on 1 September 2026. PPMI, the operator behind InstaPay and QR Ph, and Ant International "officially enabled" Alipay+ on QR Ph. Their Business Wire release says merchants receive payments from Alipay+ partner users through their existing QR Ph codes, with no separate setup. Alipay+ connects over 50 mobile payment providers. The release gives no rollout timetable by merchant, so treat each sticker as worth a try, not a promise.

Which home wallets work in the Philippines?

The 2023 wave brought Alipay+ acceptance to over 5,000 stores in Manila and Cebu through AUB PayMate, including SSP Mactan's outlets at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (Philstar). We could not confirm a Taiwanese or Singaporean wallet on the Philippine list; if your app shows Alipay+ in its scanner, try a small payment first.

Can Alipay pay a GCash QR code?

Often, now. A GCash merchant code carrying the QR Ph mark is a QR Ph code, and since September 2026 QR Ph merchants can take Alipay+ payments through those codes. Two limits apply. First, it is merchant codes: a personal GCash code (now called InstaPay QR) is a transfer between people, not a shop payment. Second, GCash's own Alipay+ feature points the other way, letting Filipinos pay at Alipay+ stores abroad. More on how the codes relate in our QR Ph vs GCash guide.

Is WeChat Pay available in the Philippines?

Yes, but only at merchants that signed up for it. AUB launched WeChat Pay in November 2017 under a licence from Tencent, for hotels, airline bookings, shopping and dining (The Asian Banker). Metrobank Card Corporation also offers it to its merchants, describing payments in pesos debited from the customer's Chinese account. Payment gateway HitPay added WeChat Pay for Philippine merchants on 25 June 2026, settling in pesos.

None of these announcements mentions QR Ph, so a WeChat Pay user cannot assume a QR Ph sticker will work. Look for the WeChat Pay logo at the till before you order, and keep a second way to pay.

Where do Alipay and WeChat Pay not work?

• Jeepneys and most tricycles: coins and small notes. See how to pay tricycles, jeepneys and sari-sari stores.
• Personal transfer codes: a stall owner's own InstaPay QR is not a merchant code.
• Merchants not yet on the Alipay+ connection: the scan fails, so ask for card or cash.
• Small islands and remote beaches: cash first.

What can visitors from outside mainland China use instead?

If you are visiting from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or elsewhere outside mainland China and your wallet does not scan, two options read the same QR Ph codes. GCash GTourist lets visitors from listed countries link a foreign Visa or Mastercard for 30 days (GTourist explained). Fizen QR Pay pays QR Ph codes from USDT for travellers and foreigners: create or import your Fizen wallet, get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay and pass KYC (per wallet and per device), then scan. BNB Chain deposits need no gas; Solana needs a little SOL. USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. Limits: US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week. Steps: QR Pay getting started.

Your money. Your freedom. No borders. The Fizen wallet is self-custody. QR Pay works differently: USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. New app users also get a US$10 travel eSIM gift.

Frequently asked questions

Home wallet won't scan? Pay the QR Ph code

Your money. Your freedom. No borders. Fizen, the stablecoin neobank for travelers, digital nomads and online workers. For visitors from outside mainland China: Fizen QR Pay pays QR Ph codes in the Philippines (and local codes in Vietnam) from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain deposited from your Fizen wallet, up to US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week.

Get the Fizen app

Terms and conditions

• Information only. This article is information only, not an offer or sale, and not financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Wallet acceptance changes; check your provider before you rely on anything here.
• For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
• Readers in mainland China. Fizen does not provide crypto-asset services to residents of mainland China, and nothing here is an offer to them. The Fizen sections apply to visitors from outside mainland China only.
• QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. KYC (per wallet and per device), KYT, AML and sanctions checks apply. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend.
• Independent. Fizen is not affiliated with Alipay, Ant International, Tencent, WeChat Pay, GCash, PPMI, AUB, Metrobank or HitPay. Facts are quoted from public releases and reports as of 3 November 2026.

Sources

• Business Wire via ANSA, PPMI and Alipay+ expand QR Ph for cross-border commerce, 1 September 2026
• SunStar, PPMI, Alipay+ expand QR Ph, 4 September 2026
• The Digital Banker, Will Alipay+ and PPMI link-up boost Chinese tourist arrivals?, 3 September 2026
• Philstar, AUB, Alipay expand cross-border payments, 29 September 2023
• The Asian Banker, AUB expands Alipay+ cross-border payments to 5,000 merchant stores, 27 September 2023
• SunStar, Mynt partners with Islands Group, 29 June 2018
• The Asian Banker, WeChat Pay launches in Philippines with Asia United Bank, 22 November 2017
• Metrobank Card Corporation, MCC offers Alipay and WeChat Pay acceptance (undated)
• HitPay changelog, WeChat Pay for Philippine merchants, 25 June 2026
• GCash Help Center, What is Pay QR? (read 3 November 2026)
• Fizen Help Center, QR Pay getting started

Checked on 3 November 2026. The September 2026 Alipay+ on QR Ph release names no individual wallets; the wallet list comes from the 2023 AUB announcements. AUB's own FAQ page did not load, so WeChat Pay eligibility is cited through Metrobank Card, The Asian Banker and HitPay.

Related reading

• Is QR Ph the same as GCash?
• GCash GTourist explained
• QR Ph for foreigners
• Manila money changers and QR