Payment Tips for International Students in the Middle East: Cards, Wallets and Remittances

Here are some China payment tips for international students in the Middle East, covering bank cards, e-wallets and cross-border remittance solutions to help you manage your money efficiently:

I. Guidelines for the use of bank cards

1. Local Account Recommendation

   • Bank Selection: Priority is given to banks that support multilingual services (e.g. Bank of China, ICBC), with some branches offering services in Arabic.
   • Documentation requirements: Passport, Student Visa (X1/X2), Letter of Acceptance, Proof of Accommodation (or proof of residence issued by the school).
   • Account type: It is recommended to open a debit card (savings card) + credit card (for international payments).

2. Use of Foreign Bank Cards

   • Visa/Mastercard can be used in large shopping centres/hotels, but small payments (convenience stores/public transport) may be limited.
   • take note of: Cards issued by some Middle Eastern countries may be declined due to sanctions, so testing in advance is recommended.

II. Essential e-purse programme

1. Alipay/WeChat Payment Binding Tips

   • After registering with your Chinese mobile phone number, top up via the following methods:
     ✅ Domestic card transfers | ❌ High failure rate for direct top-ups from offshore cards.
   • alternative: Find a trusted friend to exchange foreign currency on your behalf, or use the "TourCard" applet (which supports prepaid virtual cards for overseas cards).

2. Exclusive tools for Middle Eastern students

   • "AlipayHK" or "Meeza Pay" (for Egyptian students): partial support for Middle East bank card binding.

3. tip: Payment of tuition fees can be made free of charge by opening the "XuePay" (a platform co-operated by some universities).

III. Optimal solutions for cross-border remittances

IV. Optimal solutions for cross-border remittances (continued)

3. Bank wire transfers (international transfers)

• Applicable Scenarios: Large tuition fee/living expenses remittances need to be transferred directly to a Chinese account.
• Recommended Banks::
  • Middle East → China: Emirates NBD, QNB, Al Rajhi Bank (some support direct RMB remittance).
  • China Receiving Line: Preference is given to those that have co-operative relationships with overseas banks (e.g. Bank of China's "Cross-border Premium Exchange" service).
• cost::
  • Middle East handling fee ≈1% (some banks waive outgoing fee).
  • CNY transit fee ¥80~200.

4. Hawala/Underground Money Risk Alert ⚠️

• Commonly found in Dubai/Egypt etc.Although there is "zero handling fee", there is a risk of freezing funds or fraud, and it is strongly recommended to use regular channels!

V. Tips for Paying for Campus Life

1. Textbook/Printing Fee Saving Method::

   • 📚 Used books are traded using the WeChat app "Multi Catch Fish" or the international student group on campus.
   • 🖨️ school copy shops usually support cash/campus card only.

2. Halal catering payments::

   • Alipay searches for "Halal restaurants" to locate nearby shops, and some Xinjiang restaurants support Halah certification.

VI. Emergency response

❌ If the bank card is stolen:

1. Call your domestic card issuer's customer service immediately (+86 English service hotline is shown in the table below).
2. Report suspicious transactions via WeChat "Tencent 110".

💡 Final Recommendations::
Before coming to China to do a [UAE NBD Global] credit card (free of currency conversion fee), with Alipay to use the smoothness of 80%!