My experience with Alipay has been incredibly frustrating. I downloaded the app, added funds without issue, but was immediately blocked from making any online purchases due to a request for additional verification. The facial recognition verification failed, and the app then locked me out of trying that method again.The only remaining option presented for verification is to link a Chinese bank account – a completely unrealistic requirement as I do not live in China and have never been there. I spent hours speaking with customer support, and while the representatives were polite and seemed to want to help, they were ultimately unable to offer any viable solutions. Despite my offers to provide alternative forms of identification and documentation to verify my account directly, they insisted that linking a Chinese bank account was the only way forward.As a result, the money I deposited into the app is now completely inaccessible. It's incredibly disappointing to encounter such a significant barrier, especially when the customer support team, despite their apparent willingness, was powerless to assist. This flawed verification system, coupled with the inability of support to offer alternative solutions for international users, makes the app utterly useless and has left my funds trapped. I would strongly caution anyone outside of China against using this app to avoid this frustrating and financially damaging experience.