How to transfer money to Alipay from Singapore
Alipay is a very popular payment platform, with ways to spend in person and online both in China, here in Singapore, and within the broader region. Some Alipay users can also use the service to send and receive payments - however, international users are not usually able to access this feature.
If you’re looking to send an Alipay international transfer to someone in China, you do still have options. Instead of sending money from your Alipay wallet, you can use a provider like Wise or Remitly, to make a transfer from your bank or card in Singapore, to be deposited into your recipient’s Alipay account in China. Read on for all you need to know.
What is Alipay?
Alipay is part of the huge Alibaba group, and offers online, mobile and in store digital payments. It’s becoming more and more common to use Alipay in Singapore, with many merchants accepting Alipay payments, particularly in popular tourist locations.
You can also use Alipay’s digital wallet to send or receive payments. The services which are available do depend on where you are, and whether or not you have a Chinese Mainland Resident ID card.
Generally, if you’re an Alipay international user, based outside of China, you can not use Alipay to send or receive international transfers yourself. However, if you’re looking for a convenient way to send a payment to someone based in China, using a third party service to send money to Alipay could be easy and cheap for both you and the recipient.
Want to learn more about different payment methods in Singapore? Get out guide to using WeChat Pay in Singapore here.
How do I send money to an Alipay account?
Chances are that as a Singapore resident you won’t be able to send money from your Alipay wallet to someone else’s Alipay wallet. However, you can still have your payment deposited into your recipient’s Alipay wallet using a service like Wise, Western Union or Remitly.
These third party providers can allow you to pay for your transfer from your bank, with a card, or with a local payment method like PayNow, and send the money for deposit to an Alipay account for convenience.
Let’s look at an example. Wise has partnered with Alipay to provide the option of sending payments to Alipay wallets in CNY using your card, bank transfer or a local payment method like PayNow.
Here’s a step by step example of how to send money to an Alipay account with Wise, to give you an idea of the process:
Log in to your Wise account online or in app
Enter the amount you want to transfer to CNY
Select Alipay as the receive method
Confirm the recipient’s name and Alipay ID
Enter the reason for payment and confirm your details
Pay for your transfer using your preferred method
Your recipient will get a push notification from Alipay with the URL to receive the transfer
3 Ways to send money from Singapore to Alipay Users in China
Let’s highlight some great options if you need a provider to help you send a payment to an Alipay account in China. You’ll be able to compare the features and fees of each, to see which is best for your own specific transfer.
Wise
Send payments to 160+ countries, including China, with WIse. You can have your money deposited into an Alipay wallet, or choose a bank deposit or a payment to another popular local wallet like WeChat Pay. Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees for transfers, and will give you a delivery estimate before you confirm your payment. That makes it easy to see what you’re paying, what your recipient will get, and when it should arrive.
Best Features:
Transfer with the mid-market exchange rate and low fees
Transfers can arrive very quickly, depending on the payment method you select
Other options to send to China include bank transfer and WeChat Pay transfer
Remitly
Remitly allows customers to send money to Alipay in minutes if you use a card to fund the payment, or within a few days if you prefer to send money from your bank. Both the sender and recipient will get status update messages on their phones so you’ll know where your money is, and when it arrives in the recipient’s Alipay account. New customers may benefit from preferential fees and rates.
Best Features:
New customer offers can reduce the fees you need to pay
Some transfers arrive in Alipay in minutes
Pay by card or bank transfer
Western Union
As one of the biggest money transfer services in the world, it’s no surprise that Western Union has handy ways to send money from Singapore to Alipay accounts in China. You can pay by card, bank transfer or PayNow. You may also be able to start to set up your payment in the app, and then complete it in a Western Union agent location if you would prefer to pay by cash. Your money is then delivered to your recipient’s Alipay account safely.
Best Features:
Large and well known name in money transfer, with a huge agent network
Arrange online, in app or in person at an agent location
Other methods available include deposit in bank accounts and Wechat Pay accounts, and cash collection in China
How much can I send to an Alipay account?
Each provider will set its own limits, and there are also Alipay limits which may impact the value of transfers you can make to Alipay accounts in China.
To give an example, Wise limits the amount you can send to Alipay to 50,000 CNY, while Alipay’s restrictions mean a user can only receive 5 payments a month from Wise or similar providers like Western Union. Annual limits on the amount your recipient can get are also likely to apply.
Remitly has limits which mean that at most you can send:
2,999 SGD within 24 hours
10,000 SGD within 30 days
18,000 SGD within 180 days
On top of this, Alipay’s own limits will apply.
Check the limits of the provider you select, and ask the person you’re sending money to, to check their own limits as well, to make sure your payment can be processed hassle free.
What currencies can I send from?
When you send a payment to Alipay it will be received in CNY. However, you’re likely to be able to pay for your transfer in a broad selection of currencies, depending on the specific provider you pick. Remitly and Western Union don’t specify their full list of available currencies for transfer to Alipay, while Wise states you can pay in 25 different currencies.
Is Alipay Safe?
Alipay is one of the largest payment platform providers in the world, with a huge user base in China and the region. While you’ll need to take normal common sense precautions, Alipay should be perfectly safe to use when sending a payment to someone you know and trust.
How much does it cost to send money to China?
The cost of sending a payment to China will depend on a number of factors including the provider you pick, the currency you pay in and the way you want to pay in and pay out.
Here’s a quick overview of how much your recipient would get it you sent 5,000 USD to China with the 3 providers we selected earlier:
| Provider | Recipient receives in CNY |
|---|---|
| Western Union | 36,555.50 CNY (with promotional offer) |
| Remitly | 36,364.65 CNY (with promotional offer) |
| Wise | 36,330.82 CNY |
How can I receive money through Alipay?
If you have an eligible account, and someone has sent you an Alipay payment, you’ll need to make sure you’ve taken the following steps to be able to receive it:
Log in to Alipay and complete real-name authentication if you haven’t already done so
Find 跨境汇款 (Global Remittance) and link your bank card to your Alipay ID
Give your sender your name and Alipay ID — either your mobile number or email address
You’ll get a notification once the sender has transferred the money
Conclusion
In most cases, if you set up your Alipay account here in Singapore you won’t be able to send a payment directly to another Alipay user in China. This feature is usually only available for Alipay users in the mainland of China. However, you can still send money to an Alipay account in China through a third party. Pick a provider you like, and set up your payment with your phone or laptop. You’ll be able to send money with your bank or a card, and the provider will arrange to have the funds deposited in CNY to your recipient’s Alipay account.
Here are some providers to consider, as discussed in this guide:
Wise: Send money to Alipay with the mid-market rate and low fees, up to 50,000 CNY a payment (subject to Alipay limits)
Remitly: Get new user offers and send up to 2,999 SGD per day to Alipay in China (subject to Alipay limits)
Western Union: Arrange your payment online, in app or in person to be deposited to an Alipay account conveniently