Further to my previous post on Apple Mac alipay / taobao support, it turns out there is now a way to make online purchases in China using a Macintosh computer. Using China Merchants Bank and a WAP enabled mobile phone, it’s possible to action a payment without the need for browser restrictions or installing pointless plugins.

Prerequisites:

1. You will need an account with China Merchants Bank and have activated online banking. Unfortunately there is currently no English version. Furthermore you must have a mobile phone number registered, activated online payments, and raised your payment limit beyond zero.
2. GPRS / WAP activated mobile phone. Through the payment process, you will be sent an SMS containing a link. Click through to confirm your purchase with your PIN code on the resulting webpage opened on your phone.

Procedure:

1. At checkout, you will have a selection of banks to choose from. In some cases, you may need to first select payment gateway. Pictured is Alipay’s (支付宝) bank selection page. If shopping outside of Taobao, selection of payment gateway will usually result in a new window redirected to the payment gateway. Of course, you must select Merchant’s Bank here followed by, in this case, the big yellow button below.
2. Typically a second page by the payment gateway will simply confirm your bank choice. If no problems, click to proceed.
3. You should then be redirected to China Merchants Bank payment screen. Note the third tab on the right (手机支付) – this does not require any plugins, and therefore works on the Mac. If you are already registered for this service, choose between Credit (信用卡) or Debit card (一卡通), enter your registered cellphone number (手机号码), the last four digits of your card (卡号后四位) and finally the code displayed on that page. 确定 to submit.
4. You will receive an SMS with a URL. Click through to access payment screen on your mobile – this should work both with a smartphone browser, and WAP. You will need to enter your online payment PIN (支付密码) and captcha shown (验证码). Upon confirming, payment will be completed if there are no problems. Look for the words 支付成功.

Realistically, this is still too complicated if you don’t read any Chinese. However, for existing online banking users who wish to pay using a Mac: once setup, this should be a breeze.

To adjust your online payment limit, login to Merchants Bank Online Banking (on a Windows PC, unfortunately) then find “网上支付” -> “一卡通支付额度管理”. Here you can enter a new limit.

Your mobile number record can be found at “网上支付” -> “一卡通支付联系信息修改”

If you have not yet registered for Merchants Bank Online Banking, you must do so at any bank branch.

在中国大陆的苹果用户现在终于有途径进行网上购物啦！所有招行用户如开通了一卡通手机支付功能可通过手机验证确认支付。流程简单：只需先选用招行支付，然后在招行弹出的窗口内点击手机支付。最后把您注册的手机号输入，加上招卡后四位和显示的验证码输入提交就可进行手机支付，苹果电脑无需要安装任何插件。当你手机收到招行短信后点击短信内的连接，再通过手机输入注册的支付密码确认支付。

虽然此方式不能全算是苹果电脑支持，但起码大陆苹果用户终于有途径支付了。

注意：使用手机支付必需提前开通网上支付功能并调好足够的支付额度。招行专业版支付额度和一卡通额度是分开的，你可通过招行网银“网上支付”目录找出“一卡通支付额度管理”调整额度。

如需修改注册手机号可点击 “网上支付” -> “一卡通支付联系信息修改” 调整

详细流程可参考本博客英文文章。

Existing 186RMB plan remains (510mins talk-time) but now with 650mb data allowance. The cheapest 96RMB plan includes 240mins talk-time and 300mb data. 126RMB will get you 320mins and 400mb data.

Those interested in downgrading to the new cheaper plans should contact China Unicom customer service at 10010.

Additionally, previous 2G customers on 13x numbers can now also switch to 3G service without changing number or SIM card.

Update: Plan details now available online, but in Chinese only. I include a brief overview in English below:

All plans include free incoming calls nationwide. Domestic roaming & long distance dialing within China now inclusive in talk time with standardised nationwide pricing.

* Student plan available for valid students in China only.