The 2026 Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season is in full swing. The Nihao China app, a digital service platform operated by China UnionPay, offers overseas visitors a comprehensive range of services, including payments, transportation, tourism, and everyday needs.

Pre-arrival services available

Launched in December 2025, the app is now available in more than 160 countries and regions. Visitors can access visa information, plan itineraries, and check real-time exchange rates before arrival.

Convenient payments

The app supports online top-ups with international bank cards, including Visa and Mastercard. This means visitors do not need to exchange currency, open a Chinese bank account, or link a local mobile number.

Once topped up, users can pay by scanning UnionPay QR codes at over 100,000 merchants throughout Shanghai, including dining, accommodations, transport, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.

One QR code for public transport

The app covers metro systems in 43 major cities and bus networks in 1,760 cities at the county level and above nationwide.

In Shanghai, overseas visitors can use a single QR code to access both the metro and bus systems. The app also provides map navigation, helping users locate nearby businesses, ATMs, and currency exchange outlets, and plan their travel routes.

Translation and travel assistance

The app enhances the travel experience for overseas visitors by providing real-time multilingual translation for conversations and webpages. This is useful for visitors when taking taxis, ordering food, or asking for directions.

Its intelligent question-and-answer service provides instant information on tourist attractions, transport routes, local food, and other travel-related topics, putting the information they need at visitors' fingertips.

Faster tax refunds

The app has partnered with major banks to offer "refund-upon-purchase" service in Shanghai and other key cities. This service allows eligible visitors to receive tax refunds shortly after making qualifying purchases.

The service supports OCR and QR code processing, with an English-language interface that allows international visitors to complete the procedures more conveniently.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce