Meituan (美团)

Meituan is one of China’s largest super-apps, covering food delivery, hotel booking, restaurant discovery, bike-sharing, movie tickets, and more. Foreign visitors most commonly encounter it for food delivery and bike-sharing; hotel booking and restaurant reservations are possible but skew toward Chinese-language users.

How do I download and set up Meituan?

• iOS: App Store → search “Meituan” or “美团”
• Android: Google Play → search “Meituan”

Prerequisite: mobile payment (Alipay or WeChat Pay) must be set up before Meituan is usable — the app does not reliably support direct foreign card payment for all service categories.

How does Meituan food delivery work?

Meituan is one of China’s two dominant food delivery platforms (the other is 淘宝闪购, formerly 饿了么/Ele.me, owned by Alibaba — rebranded December 2025).

How to Order

1. Open Meituan → tap the food delivery icon (外卖).
2. The app uses your GPS location to show nearby restaurants.
3. Select a restaurant → add items → proceed to checkout.
4. Enter your delivery address in Chinese — use the address from your hotel booking confirmation, or ask hotel staff to write it for you.
5. Pay via Alipay or WeChat Pay.
6. Track the order on-screen; the rider contacts you by phone if needed (use the in-app call button so the number is anonymised).

Tips for Foreign Users

• Set phone language to English before first launch. Meituan detects your phone’s system language on first open — this determines whether you see a partially-English interface or full Chinese.
• Get your delivery address in Chinese characters first. Ask hotel front desk to write the exact address including hotel name. Screenshot it or copy-paste into the address field.
• Browse by photos, not text. Tap into restaurant listings to see dish photos with ratings. This is often more useful than translating the text menu.
• Use in-app translation. Tap the ··· menu then 翻译 (translate) — supports 18 languages for menu descriptions.
• Backup plan: If Meituan payment fails or a restaurant is not listed, try 淘宝闪购 (formerly Ele.me) through Alipay. Some restaurants are exclusive to one platform.
• Late-night use case: Ordering to your hotel room at 10 PM is common and works well. Delivery typically arrives in 20-40 minutes in major cities.
• Use Meituan as a visual menu reference. Even when dining at a restaurant in person, open the restaurant’s page on Meituan to see photos and ratings of their dishes — helps with ordering at the table.

Interface Language

The Meituan app is predominantly Chinese. Key navigation:

• 外卖 = food delivery
• 附近 = nearby
• 搜索 = search
• 下单 = place order
• 评价 = review

English restaurant names and cuisines (e.g., “Pizza”, “Burger”) are searchable in English.

Can I book hotels on Meituan?

Meituan lists a large inventory of Chinese hotels, hostels, and guesthouses, often with competitive pricing for budget and mid-range properties.

Price gap: the same room listed on Meituan can be 20–30% cheaper than on Trip.com or Booking.com — the gap appears between local apps (Meituan) and international-facing OTAs, not between the Chinese and international versions of the same OTA. This is worth knowing for budget-conscious travelers who have Alipay or WeChat Pay set up. See Accommodation for detail.

Practical note for foreigners: the interface is Chinese-language, and some smaller properties cannot process foreign passport check-in correctly. For most visitors, Trip.com or Booking.com are easier and fully English — use Meituan if you are comfortable navigating a Chinese UI and want the lower local price.

How do I use Meituan shared bikes?

Meituan operates one of China’s largest dockless bike-sharing fleets (yellow bikes).

How to Unlock

1. Open Meituan → tap the bike icon (单车), or use Alipay’s built-in bike entry, or use WeChat’s mini-program search for “美团单车”.
2. Scan the QR code on the bike’s handlebar.
3. Pay per ride via Alipay or WeChat Pay; deposits are handled automatically through your linked payment account.

Bikes are GPS-tracked — park in designated areas (white-painted zones) to avoid surcharges.

Restaurant Reviews and Reservations

Meituan includes restaurant reviews and, for some venues, table reservations. Dianping (大众点评, also owned by Meituan’s parent company) is the dedicated review platform and is more commonly referenced for reviews; the two apps share underlying data.

Movie Tickets and Entertainment

Meituan sells cinema tickets, attraction tickets, and event passes at competitive prices. Useful if you can navigate the Chinese interface — otherwise attraction official websites or Trip.com cover the same inventory with English support.

Meituan or Taobao Flash Purchase: which is better?

Feature	Meituan	淘宝闪购 (formerly 饿了么)
Market share	~65–70%	~30–35%
Coverage	Broader (more cities, suburban areas)	Strong in Tier-1 cities (2000+ cities)
Payment	Alipay, WeChat Pay	Alipay preferred (Alibaba-owned)
English support	Minimal	Minimal
Discounts	Meituan membership promotions	Alipay bundled promotions

Both platforms work similarly for a foreign visitor — choose whichever has better restaurant selection near your location.

What are Meituan’s limitations for foreigners?

• The app is Chinese-language heavy — most menus and UI labels are not translated.
• Mobile payment must be set up first — Meituan does not accept foreign credit cards directly at the checkout.
• Hotel booking and reservation features assume a Chinese identity/address for many confirmation flows.
• Customer support is Chinese-language only.

See Also

• Accommodation — hotel booking options and passport registration requirements
• Mobile Payment — Alipay and WeChat Pay setup for foreigners
• Alipay — Alipay setup (required before using Meituan)
• WeChat — WeChat Pay setup