Wechat Pay verification

[Mouseneb]

According to a recent article, everyone must verify their identity by July 1 in order to continue use of wechat wallet.

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5MTcwODQ2Nw==&mid=2652044850&idx=4&sn=2108c74a20a29ac5b90dc37812d28b28&scene=1&srcid=05271fNhcfBg0pTZ0LHOt6Jr&from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0#wechat_redirect

It seems that you must do this through alipay, but I'm not entirely sure about that. Thoughts? Have you done it? I'm not sure if it's possible to know if we've done it correctly before July 1, but considering how essential wechat wallet has become in China, thought we might want to get a discussion going now.

[eion_padraig]

Is the process of linking it to a Chinese bank account not enough to verify one's identity? I couldn't join certain groups until my identity was verified and I thought this was done by linking to a Chinese bank card.

 

Eion

[abcdefg]

I did it last month. Cannot remember the details; I just followed the instructions and it went through. It involved their sending some verification code numbers to my phone and my entering them in the registration widget. I also recall that it required my passport number. Linked Wechat Pay and one of my Chinese bank accounts. Seems to be working OK afterwards.

 

Have you tried doing it, Mouseneb?

 

Might add as a footnote that I used a bank account with a smallish balance. My thinking was that in case something went wrong and Evil Hackers or Scam Thieves managed to empty it, the loss would not be totally crippling.

 

It seems that you must do this through alipay, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

 

I didn't go through Alipay, although I also have that app installed.

[Mouseneb]

My husband has done something that involved sending photos of his passport photo page and most recent Chinese entry stamp. I was about to begin the process but then reconsidered due to not wanting to link my bank account, as I'm the primary wage earner and most of our Chinese cash is in there. Husband's linked account has petty cash so he can taobao as needed, but not much more than that. I am thinking that I will want to open a second account just to link to wechat, kind of mafan but better than getting our main account emptied due to some mistake on my part or hacking.

[abcdefg]

I am thinking that I will want to open a second account just to link to wechat, kind of mafan but better than getting our main account emptied due to some mistake on my part or hacking.

 

Yes, that's what I did in response to the same concerns.

 

I was not required to send a photo of my passport or latest entry stamp, so maybe there will be more hoops for me to jump through later.

[ChTTay]

Not sure that article makes much sense really. What's the source?

When you set up Wechat pay, you need to use the name you've used to set up your bank account. This is the name on your passport. Then they also send you a message to your phone number, which should also be the one on your bank account (I think). If you've gone through an official Unicom or China Mobile store then you've also provided I.D.

For Alipay, you can't get a full account in China without sending in copies of your passport and residence permit. Then they deposit a small amount in your bank account , you've got to tell them how much the amount once as the last verification step.

[Mouseneb]

Yes, I agree that the article is not well written (or perhaps not well translated). I saw it on Guide in China's wechat page, but the article itself claims to be from China Daily. Since the article was so confusing, I thought it best to seek more information elsewhere. And of course, where else but this bastion of helpfulness and knowledge?

[eion_padraig]

Like abcdefg and Mouseneb, I set up a secondary bank account for my WeChat Wallet and AliPay so there was less danger of my main bank account being hacked.

I'm just starting to use Taobao for getting dog food online and I'll probably start using it to get books online, so having AliPay has been useful. I need to ask my landlord if she'll let me pay for utilities using WeChat Wallet. That would save me a bit of hassle.

[Mouseneb]

Just use a bit of caution with the taobao dog food. We attempted that recently and one of our dogs had an allergic reaction to the food, despite it being our regular brand. We've gone back to buying it at a local pet shop. More mafan but my dog's fur is finally starting to grow back in. Of course this can happen with locally purchased dog food as well, a friend's dog unfortunately passed away due to dog for which had been improperly stored and grown bacteria. Quality control does seem slightly better at the local pet shops in my experience though. If you do switch your source try to be extra vigilant for a bad reaction. We should have caught on to what was causing our dog's reaction sooner.

[eion_padraig]

I'll look out for that happening. There was the issue back in the US a few years ago with contaminated pet food from China that killed quite a few pets, so I'm aware of the potential issues. They've both had minor health issues since I brought them here 3 years ago, but they're both also 12 years old.

 

Theoretically this is imported from Australia and I've got two dogs that are both around 20 kgs each, so they go through a lot. When I can find the type of food they eat it's almost always small 4 kg bags and excessively expensive. I've actually been getting their food on Taobao for the last 2 1/2 years or so, but I had to rely on friends doing the purchasing.

 

Eion