I used the ZhongAn Hong Kong card for two weeks in the mainland and felt great. I think binding the ZhongAn card to the WeChat Hong Kong Wallet (WeChat Pay HK) for consumption is the most convenient, fastest, and cost-effective way.

I also downloaded the Hong Kong version of Alipay (AlipayHK) to bind my card for consumption (the process is the same as adding a bank card with domestic Alipay). To be honest, the experience is not good. The main issue is that the Hong Kong version of Alipay is too slow and clumsy for payments, and it often triggers 3D verification, requiring me to confirm the verification in the ZhongAn app, which makes me flustered. This slow process can easily make cashiers and people in line behind me roll their eyes. The worst part is when it takes too long to succeed, and the cashier thinks the transaction has failed and asks for a re-scan, resulting in duplicate charges or triggering risk control. I encountered this once while settling the bill at a hot pot restaurant in Chongqing a couple of days ago, which was very awkward. So now I only use WeChat Hong Kong Wallet and don't use this crappy Hong Kong version of Alipay anymore.

Using WeChat Hong Kong wallet is much smoother, and there are often discounts. Yesterday I paid the electricity bill on WeChat and unexpectedly received a direct discount of 20 HKD (Mainland payment discount)! What a pleasant surprise! You should know that the ZA Bank APP also gave cashback on consumption! I must use it in the future!

Some may ask, why is it necessary to bind the Hong Kong version? Can't we just bind the domestic WeChat and Alipay? Actually, it can be bound, but binding a Hong Kong card to use the domestic version of WeChat and Alipay will consume the annual foreign exchange quota of 50,000 USD, and a single transaction over 200 RMB will incur a 3% overseas card fee, plus the bank will also charge a 1.95% cross-border fee, and the exchange rate for converting to RMB is not as good as that of the Hong Kong version, so it's best to bind the Hong Kong card to the Hong Kong version of WeChat wallet for the best deal!

Now let me teach you step by step how to activate the WeChat Pay HK binding with the ZA Hong Kong card for consumption. Rest assured, the entire process is completed within Mainland WeChat, no need to bypass the wall, no need to register a Hong Kong WeChat account, no need for a Hong Kong phone number, and definitely no need for a Hong Kong ID.

I. Detailed Binding Steps

Step 1: Find the entrance

In the search box at the top of WeChat, search for 'WeChat Pay HK Good Life' and follow the official account.

Step 2: Self-service to open the wallet

Enter the official account, click on the lower right corner 'Convenient Entrance' → 'Self-service to open Hong Kong wallet'.

Step 3: Add the ZA Card

In the activation guide, select 'Add Credit Card', enter the ZA Card number, expiration date, and CVV security code (can be found in the ZA Bank App). Here is a special reminder! You must select 'Add Credit Card'! Make sure to stay logged into the app and do not log out.

Step 4: Verify the transaction

After submission, WeChat will initiate a verification transaction of 0.1 HKD (which will be refunded). At this time, the phone will receive a notification from the ZA Bank App, click 'Confirm Transaction' after redirection.

Step 5: Complete the binding

After confirmation in the ZA Bank App, WeChat will prompt that the activation is complete, and the ZA Card is successfully bound to the WeChat Pay HK wallet.

II. Must-read before use

- Switch wallet region

Before each payment, you need to manually switch to the Hong Kong wallet: WeChat 'Me' → 'Services' → upper right corner '...' → 'Switch Wallet Region' → select 'Hong Kong, China'. This is the most crucial step.

- The transaction fees vary greatly

Binding a Hong Kong card for consumption directly with Mainland WeChat will incur a 1.95% foreign transaction fee; using WeChat Pay HK wallet for payments can save this fee and offers better exchange rates.

- Applicable scenarios

Merchants supporting WeChat Pay HK WeChat payment include QR code payments and online payments (such as supermarkets, takeaways, phone bill recharges, etc.), but note that personal collection codes usually do not support it.

- Consumption rewards

After binding, you can usually receive consumption vouchers for new ZA Bank customers, remember to use them in time.

- Do not recharge the balance.

Do not recharge the balance in WeChat Pay HK unless you have a Hong Kong ID, otherwise you can only recharge and not withdraw! So just bind the ZA Card for consumption, do not use the balance.

Alright, that's all for now, everyone hurry to play, next month there are plenty of activities in the Hong Kong cryptocurrency space, for those who don't have a Hong Kong card, it's a good time to get a ZA Bank card, check my previous tutorial for instructions, and let me emphasize again, remember to fill in the invitation code to receive a bonus of 150 HKD! Make sure to activate international roaming on your phone in the mainland, just call customer service at 100086 or similar to activate it. Note that the phone number must be the same as the one linked to the domestic savings card to receive the verification code in Hong Kong.

If you encounter any problems, feel free to ask in my chat room from my Plaza homepage, and note to check the pinned posts in the chat room first. In short, be sure to carefully read the tutorial posts I wrote earlier! Be fully prepared to ensure a successful application for the Hong Kong card in one go.