Who This Helps

  • Foreign visitors using DiDi, taxi mini-programs, or street taxis.
  • Travelers with airport, station, hotel, or late-night transfers.
  • Travelers who need Chinese destination cards and payment backups.

Before You Start

  • Save your destination name, full address, phone number, and nearby landmark in Chinese.
  • For airports and stations, follow official taxi or app pickup signs instead of choosing a random curb.
  • If using DiDi or a mini-program, confirm pickup pin, car type, license plate, and driver route in the app.
  • If taking a street taxi, show the Chinese destination and ask for the meter or official fare method.
  • Keep mobile payment plus cash or card backup in case the ride payment fails.
  • Share trip details when the app supports it and keep your hotel phone number ready.
  • Avoid unlicensed solicitations at airports, stations, and tourist sites.

Common Failure Cases

  • The driver cannot find me. Move to an official pickup point and send a landmark or ask staff to help with the phone call.
  • Payment fails after the ride. Try another in-app method, ask whether cash is accepted, and keep the ride record for support.
  • A person offers a ride inside the terminal. Use official taxi queues, app pickup zones, or hotel-arranged transfers.

Source cross-check

This answer was checked against Trip.com: How to use DiDi in China as a foreigner and State Council: Payment service guide for overseas visitors to China. A third source, AMap Global on the Apple App Store, was used where the answer depends on implementation detail or traveler-facing handling. Additional support from DiDi China ride-hailing app listing: global visitors and English interface was kept when official rules and platform execution need to be separated. Where sources use different scope or dates, the guide follows the current official or most directly authoritative source and keeps platform or traveler-facing material as implementation context only.

FAQ

Can foreigners use DiDi?
Public platform guidance says foreigners can use DiDi workflows, but account, phone, card, city, and language support can vary.
Should I take taxis from airport arrivals halls?
Use official taxi queues, signed ride-hailing pickup zones, or hotel transfers; avoid unsolicited rides.
What Chinese text should I prepare?
Destination name, address, phone number, hotel name, and a phrase asking the driver to use the meter or app route.