How to Order Food Delivery as a Foreign Visitor in China

If you spend any length of time travelling across Chinese cities, you will almost certainly want to try local food delivery. The service here is fast, cheap and covers nearly every type of restaurant, from street food shops to formal eateries. Even so, international tourists often hit two major roadblocks: signing into delivery apps with a valid phone number, and sorting out a working payment method. Many first-time visitors waste hours trying to get standalone delivery apps running, without knowing there are far simpler ways around these common hurdles.

The phone-number problem

The biggest headache most people face comes down to account registration. The two dominant food delivery platforms are Meituan and Ele.me. If you download their official mobile apps and attempt to sign up directly, you will quickly run into trouble. These applications are built mainly for local residents, and they heavily rely on Chinese mainland mobile numbers to send verification codes. Most overseas phone numbers cannot receive these text messages, leaving visitors stuck at the login screen with no clear way forward. Purchasing a local Chinese SIM card works as a permanent fix, but it adds extra cost and paperwork, and many short-stay travellers do not want to handle extra mobile plans for just a few weeks.

The easy workaround: mini-programs

Thankfully, there is a reliable workaround that most travellers overlook. You do not actually need to create separate accounts inside Meituan or Ele.me. Both services operate lightweight mini-programs inside Alipay and WeChat. Once you have a verified Alipay or WeChat account, you can open these mini-programs directly without another round of registration or SMS checks. This skips the entire phone number barrier for delivery ordering.

Search “Ele.me” within Alipay, or look up “Meituan Waimai” in WeChat, and you can start browsing restaurants straight away. The layout is identical to the full delivery app, and you can input your hotel address, select dishes and track delivery riders in real time. If you plan to stay longer and intend to order food frequently, buying a temporary local SIM at the airport remains a solid backup choice, but mini-programs should be your first plan of attack.

Getting payment ready

Once you solve the login issue, the next critical challenge is payment. Cash is rarely accepted for online food orders in China; riders almost never carry change, and cash-on-delivery options have become extremely limited in most cities. Every order placed through delivery mini-programs requires settlement via Alipay or WeChat Pay. This means setting up at least one of these two services before you try to place an order.

Foreign visitors can register Alipay using their overseas mobile number and complete identity verification with their passport. After verification, you can link Visa, Mastercard and other international bank cards. Alipay also offers Tour Pass, a prepaid wallet made specifically for short-term tourists. You load Chinese yuan into this wallet using your foreign card, and you can spend the balance on food, transport and daily shopping for up to 90 days. WeChat supports international card binding as well, though some foreign cards face higher chances of payment failures depending on the issuing bank. It is sensible to prepare both Alipay and WeChat if possible, so you have a backup if one payment route fails at checkout.

Useful delivery details

Neither delivery platform offers full English translation, so keep a translation app ready to read menu items and dish descriptions. Write down your hotel address in simple Chinese characters, and leave clear instructions for the delivery rider to drop meals at the hotel front desk if you cannot answer incoming calls. Riders typically dial the contact number you leave on your order, so provide your hotel landline or temporary local number when you can.

In short

Avoid struggling to register standalone delivery apps with your foreign phone number. Use Alipay or WeChat mini-programs to skip registration barriers. Sort out your mobile payment setup early by verifying Alipay with your passport and linking an international card. Get these two points sorted, and you will be able to enjoy convenient food delivery just like local residents during your trip across China.