
Get exclusive money-saving offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
WeChat's wallet feature is a quick and easy way to split a dinner bill, pay a friend back or shop without a physical wallet. If you already use WeChat for messaging and you're registered in China, South Africa or Hong Kong, using it to send money is easy.
USD 1
Min. Transfer Amount
USD 2,000
Max. Transfer Amount
Within an hour
Transfer Speed
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Product Name | WeChat International Money Transfers |
---|---|
Min. Transfer Amount | USD 1 |
Max. Transfer Amount | USD 2,000 |
Transfer Methods | Online, Cash Transfer |
Transfer Options | One off payments |
Transfer Speed Minimum transfer time | Within an hour |
Customer Service | Phone, Email |
Available Currencies | CNY, HKD, MYR, ZAR |
WeChat – locally known as 微信 or Weixin – is a social media app that's become one of the most widely used in China. Because it's governed by China's strong censorship laws and messaging interception rules, the government can potentially review your messages and other data at any time. Given this, it's no surprise that WeChat's had a difficult time catching on internationally.
While WeChat is available around the world, WeChat Wallet is only available for those who have a bank account in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia or South Africa. If you do, you'll be able to use WeChat Wallet in Australia.
At the start of 2018, WeChat Pay launched. This feature lets tourists, expats or international students pay at certain stores in Australia. You can see if your local grocery store offers it by looking for the logo.
The money you’re sent on WeChat is automatically transferred into your WeChat Wallet — meaning you don’t accept or deny payment. By reviewing your balance you can view and manage how much money is in your WeChat account.
Yes. WeChat is not legally allowed to process international money transfers. Be aware that only wallets specific to the areas supported by WeChat — China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Africa — can send accessible money between each other.
What this means is that if you're trying to send money from your wallet in China to someone in South Africa, the money will be sent, but now the recipient in South Africa will also have a Chinese wallet. Unless the user from South Africa heads to China, the money will be useless.
WeChat encrypts your personal information, financial details and monetary transactions. However, WeChat doesn't provide much information on other digital safeguards.
Because WeChat Wallet is based in China, it isn't required to comply with Australian security standards. Keep in mind that the Chinese government monitors all social media devices, including WeChat. So it’s safe from hackers, but no transaction is completely private.
While WeChat doesn't have the ability yet to make an international money transfer, there are other providers that can. Learn more about them below. If you'd like the convenience of a mobile app, check out our review on some of the most popular money transfer apps.