Aside from essential apps like WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Maps, etc., one of the other apps that I use most often here is Dianping, especially for looking up restaurants and bars. It's a great way to find new places, check opening times and addresses, book tables and get some banging discounts. 

Almost every restaurant or bar is guaranteed to have at least one kind of deal or discount. It's honestly always worth checking out a place's Dianping page to see what's available because you can find some real bargains. 

Now, as the app is only available in Chinese, it can be a little off-putting for non-speakers. However, getting a hold of these discounts is actually pretty easy, and we're going to make it even easier with our step-by-step guide!

First up, to see what discounts are available at a restaurant or bar, go to their Dianping page (make sure it's the correct branch) and go to the section that says 优惠 (yōuhuì) “discount.” You can click on the drop-down arrow to see the full list of discounts.

For this guide, we're going to focus on two of the most common and easy-to-use vouchers that you'll find in Dianping, along with how to find them once purchased. 

Discount Voucher: 超值券 (chāozhí quàn)

You purchase a voucher for a restaurant which is worth RMB XX at a discounted price (e.g. pay RMB 91 and get a voucher worth RMB 100) and you can use this to pay at the restaurant. Most places will usually only have one type of Discount Voucher available, and you'll most commonly see vouchers worth RMB 100-200 with around a ten percent discount. You can normally purchase multiple vouchers and use them together to cover the whole cost of the bill.

Step 1 – Select the discount voucher that you want to purchase, and press the orange 抢购 (qiǎnggòu) “purchase” button.

Step 2 – You'll be taken to a page with the terms and conditions for the voucher, which will include things like when the voucher can be used. 

Step 3 – Click on the orange 提交订单 (tíjiāo dìngdān) “place order” button at the bottom.

Step 4 – You'll then be taken to a payment page where you can select your chosen payment method. Press the orange 确认交易 (quèrèn jiāoyì) “confirm transaction” button, and you'll be given a voucher with a QR code which you can use to pay the bill at the restaurant. 

Dine-in Set Meal Voucher: 到点套餐 (dàodiǎn tàocān) 

You purchase a set meal through the app at a discounted price. Most restaurants normally have quite a few different Dine-in Set Meal Vouchers, with some common ones being “Set Meal for One,” “Couple Set Meal,” “Lunch Set” etc. These are the vouchers where you can make some pretty big savings – just check out the RMB 326 saving below!

Within the sets, some will allow you to choose between a few different options, while others will only have specific, preselected items included. 

Step 1 – Click on any of the set meal options and then scroll down to see what's included.

Step 2 – Once you've clicked on one, you can scroll left to right to see the other set meals available. 

Step 3 – Select the set meal that you want to purchase, and press the orange 立即团购 (lìjí tuángòu) “instant group purchase” button.

Step 4 – Click on the orange 提交订单 (tíjiāo dìngdān) “place order” button at the bottom.

Step 5 – You'll then be taken to a payment page where you can select your chosen payment method. Press the orange 确认交易 (quèrèn jiāoyì) “confirm transaction” button, and you'll be given a voucher with a QR code which you can show to the staff at the restaurant. If you've chosen a set meal that allows you to choose between different options, the wait staff will ask which specific meals or drinks you want. 

Finding Your Vouchers

Lastly, to find any vouchers you've purchased, just follow these steps. 

Step 1 – From the Dianping home screen, click 我的 (wǒde) “me” in the bottom right-hand corner.

Step 2 – Click on the yellow button that says 订单 (dìngdān) “orders” button, on the left side. 

Step 3 – Click on the section at the top that says 全部订单 (quánbù dìngdān) “all orders,” and any vouchers you've purchased will appear.  

And there you have it, our easy guide to saving yourself some money using Dianping! Why not take a browse of the app right now see what discounts you can grab at your favorite restaurant?