AliPay and UnionPay are some of the most popular and most-used online payment services around the world, aside from PayPal.

They are also highly popular in China. As such, China’s citizens tend to use them quite a bit.

But what if you want to pay for a VPN service with either of these popular services?

You’ve no doubt found that difficult already because many VPN services don’t offer support for these payment systems.

That’s why I’ve put this guide together.

Inside you’ll discover seven VPN services that accept AliPay, UnionPay or a combination of both – not only that, they’re some of the industries highest-rated services.

With a VPN being one of the necessities of most countries, not least of all China, it’s an app you can’t afford to be living without.

Keep scrolling to learn which services you can pay for with these two popular payment systems.

Best VPNs that accept AliPay or UnionPay

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is still the most universal VPN out there, and as such – it once again takes the first spot on our list. Apart from credit cards, PayPal, and even cryptocurrencies, ExpressVPN also accepts both AliPay and UnionPay.

As well as offering both payment methods, it also works exceptionally well in China, topping our best VPN for China list in both reliability and speed.

Other than that, it is perfect for unblocking anything on the internet due to its major server count and locations. It has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries around the world, and in our tests, they came out as one of the fastest services.

Not to mention that ExpressVPN has one of the most significant collections of dedicated apps that we have seen. No matter what device you wish to use it on, the chances are that ExpressVPN already has an app for it.

And, of course, it is essential to know that ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Our #1 Recommended Choice

30-day money back guarantee

2. NordVPN

Next up, we have NordVPN – another popular service that offers over 5,000 servers in around 60 countries around the world. Apart from excellent coverage, NordVPN also stands out because it accepts both AliPay and UnionPay, similarly to ExpressVPN.

NordVPN also features excellent download speeds, numerous dedicated apps for various devices and systems, and it has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

It is a great option for anyone who wishes to purchase it with one of the two payment services. It is also very user-friendly, meaning that you can use it even if you have no previous experience with VPNs.

3. VPN.ac

In the third spot, we have VPN.ac – a secure service that has fewer countries covered, but is recommended as one of the best in terms of security features.

VPN.ac has servers in over 20 countries, it is compatible with many devices (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android), although its money-back guarantee only lasts for seven days, which is a bit short.

However, it is an excellent option for anyone who wishes to pay for their VPN with AliPay or UnionPay, as it accepts both. It also works well in China.

Apart from that, it is fast, it keeps no logs of your activities and it allows you to protect up to 6 devices simultaneously.

4. VyprVPN

Then, we have VyprVPN, and this is our first service that only accepts one of the two payment methods – UnionPay.

While it doesn’t support AliPay, it still offers a lot of great features, such as a 30-day money-back guarantee, high security, apps for all the popular systems and devices, and more.

VyprVPN has over 2 million customers worldwide, and its server network covers over 70 countries, with 200,000 IP addresses in total.

We like the fact they own all the hardware that makes up their service. In their own words, this makes them more secure than others.

5. Surfshark

Next, there is Surfshark – a new but very affordable VPN that offers a reliable service and allows you to pay for it via AliPay, among other methods. However, they don’t currently offer UnionPay.

Surfshark allows you to protect an unlimited number of devices, and it offers a large number of different dedicated apps for various systems, including Smart TVs, Chrome, Firefox, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

It features over 1,040 servers in more than 60 countries, and it is known for its ability to unblock over 15 different countries’ Netflix libraries.

Finally, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning that you get to test it for a month and still get your money back at any time during this period.

6. VPNCity

In the sixth spot, we have VPNCity, another relatively new VPN service.

This VPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can easily purchase it with AliPay. VPNCity has dedicated apps for all the most popular devices and systems, it is very secure, it doesn’t keep logs, and it has servers in 27 different countries.

The service is fast, which makes it great for streaming without buffering or any similar issues, and it allows you to use it on up to 8 devices simultaneously.

Although it’s a new service it does offer a lot of exciting features and so is worth checking out. Sadly, they don’t support UnionPay.

7. 12VPN

Finally, we have 12VPN, which is the last service on our list, but also one that accepts both AliPay and UnionPay.

If you are located in China and you are looking for a reliable service, 12VPN is one of the best choices for you.

The only reason why we placed it as the last on our list as it was designed to be specifically useful to Chinese users, but not as much for others. This is due to its local China knowledge and in our testing, we found their Shadowsocks offering to be reliable.

This service features a 14-day money-back guarantee, it offers support for Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android, and it has excellent customer support.

The service claims to offer servers in multiple countries, although it doesn’t specify how many countries it covers.

Issues of using AliPay or UnionPay

While we have just listed up to 7 VPN services that accept payments from UnionPay or AliPay, you should still be aware of the fact that these payment services do come with some issues.

For example, both are owned by Chinese companies, meaning that there could be some privacy implications.

The Chinese government likely can request your payment details, and it could discover that you paid for a VPN if it looks into your records.

Such details are either stored or at least processed through China. And, since the majority of people using these services are Chinese, or at least live in China – that is something worth keeping in mind.

Payment alternatives

Now, if you are looking for alternative methods of paying for your VPN, you’re in luck, as many VPNs accept all kinds of different payment options.

Here are the most popular ones:

1. Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies have become well-known around the world, especially in the last few years.

They used to be an anonymous way of making payments, although most of them are only pseudonymous these days. In other words, your payment won’t be entirely anonymous, but it will be near-instant, and you are in control of your own money at all times.

The potential issue with this method is the fact that China doesn’t allow cryptocurrency trading, and that the price of crypto is highly volatile and subjected to rapid changes at any time.

2. PayPal

PayPal hardly needs an introduction, as it is the most well-known online payment service in the world.

PayPal has been around for a while, and you can pay for most things on the internet with it, including the majority of VPN services. It supports multiple currencies, and it works in most parts of the world.

However, PayPal is also known for sometimes freezing accounts, having trouble with payments. But, surprisingly enough, it is still available in China.

3. Credit Cards

Finally, we have credit cards – one of the most popular methods of paying for all kinds of things on all kinds of sites around the world.

The trouble with credit cards is that the banks see all of your details regarding pretty much any transaction you have ever made. As such, credit cards might not be the best way to purchase a VPN for travelling to or living in China.

Credit cards can also incur fees when making international transactions. As most VPN services bill in US Dollars, if your home currency is any other, you could get stung for currency conversion charges.

Summary

AliPay and UnionPay are extremely popular payment services, that can even be used for paying for Virtual Private Network services.

Not all services accept these methods though so we have listed seven of them that allow either one of the two or even both.

My favourite choice is ExpressVPN, not only do they accept both payment methods, work ridiculously well in China, but they’re also the top-rated by many different publications.

What’s your favourite payment method? I would love to know, so leave me a comment in the comments section below.

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