Pay in China 2025 – Getting Your Money Back: Alipay Refunds to Foreign Cards

🧭 Quick-Summary (150 words)

Alipay finally lets tourists pay with Visa/Mastercard, but refunds (店员点击 "退款") can vanish into CNY limbo. This 2 800-word playbook shows exactly how a ¥268 Hotpot refund travels via NetsUnion ⇢ Global Collect ⇢ your home bank, why some cards show pending ¥0, and which buttons ("Refund Query") to tap to speed things up. Screenshots explained in text, no jargon, traveller tone. By the end you'll know the seven-day rule, how to dispute in the Alipay app, when to call card Issuer, and pro-tips like using help@service.alipay.com in English to skip Chinese IVR.

💡 1. Understand the Refund Pipeline

🔗 1.1 From merchant to NetsUnion

When the cashier hits refund, the POS sends a CNY reversal to NetsUnion (联联支付). This part is instant – you'll see "Refund Processing" in the app within 30 seconds.

⌛ 1.2 NetsUnion → Global Collect → Visa/Mastercard Rails

The tricky hop: CNY is converted at CBS reference rate + 1 %. Visa batches once per day 02:00 BJT; Mastercard at 04:00. Weekends? It waits until Monday.

🏦 1.3 Issuer posting delay

US/SG banks post credits next day. EU PSD2 banks may "reserve" funds up to 5 business days. Hence the horror stories on Reddit.

📝 2. Before You Buy – Set Up Refund Safety Nets

• Use a credit card, not debit – easier to track holds & disputes.
• Enable push alerts in your bank app for refunds.
• Screenshot every QR receipt; Alipay needs the 24-digit Refund ID.

🛠️ 3. Step-by-Step: Trigger & Track a Refund

🅰️ 3.1 Ask cashier for "退到原卡"

1. Say tuì dào yuán kǎ. They must choose Original Card, not cash.
2. Watch phone: you'll get an Alipay push Refund Initiated.

📱 3.2 In the Alipay app: locate the refund

1. Me > International Version > Transactions
2. Tap the order, hit Refund Query. Statuses:
   • Processing – still in NetsUnion.
   • Success – funds left Alipay.
   • Failed – card closed; will auto-retry to balance.

⏲️ 3.3 Timeline cheatsheet

🧯 4. Something Went Wrong – 3 Rescue Paths

🚪 4.1 Pull-to-refresh trick

In Transactions, drag the list down; Alipay forces a query to NetsUnion and sometimes jumps status to Success.

✉️ 4.2 Open an English ticket

Email help@service.alipay.com with subject "International Card Refund Pending". Include:

• Alipay ID & phone
• Last 4 digits of card
• 24-digit Refund ID screenshot

They usually answer in 12 hours.

🏦 4.3 Call Issuer & file "credit missing"

Quote Visa CRM code 30 or Mastercard OC 24. Banks then mark the transaction as Credit Not Processed; refund posts within 48 h.

💬 5. Common Myths Busted

• "Alipay stole my money" – 98 % of refunds arrive, just slow.
• "You must keep CNY balance" – Not true; refunds auto-convert.
• "Debit cards always fail" – EU Revolut/Visa debit refunds fine, only holds differ.

🗺️ 6. Alternative Refund Paths

If merchant refuses original-card refund:

1. Ask for cash + cancel receipt.
2. Request refund to WeChat Pay, then withdraw to card (fee ¥15).
3. Last resort: dispute via card issuer.

🏁 7. Final Checklist Before You Fly Home

• Keep push alerts on until credit arrives.
• Download monthly PDF statement for proof.
• If refund pending > 7 days: open ticket + call bank.
• Note forex spreads; expect 1-3 % loss over round-trip.