You’ve arrived in the UK to study, to work or on business, or maybe even for travel and tourism. But whatever your reason, day-to-day life here is different. As you’ll be aware, the UK, Europe and even the US have quite different systems and different apps for shopping, travel, and of course, payment.
So whether you’re a Chinese student, a business visitor, or a tourist, you’ll need access to commonly-sed UK services. The following are 10 crucial apps that will enable you to live and function in the UK.
Hotels and Travel
Trip.com is a Chinese hotel and travel app, but its selection of deals and prices can’t be eaten by alternative services in any country.
The beauty of this app is that it manages your entire trip, from travel to stay and provides very useful suggestions on how to get to your next destination and also provides insightful suggestions on what else you could do.
Follow these links to get the Trip app on iOS and Android! – AND click here to visit Trip.com now!
Taxi Hail
In China, it’s all about DiDi, and there are other ride-hailing features in AliPay and WeChat. But outside of China, Uber is the market-leading ride-hail app, without a doubt.
So in Uber, simply add your destination and select the fare that suits you. Pay in advance and follow the whereabouts of your ride in real time.
The Uber app can be found for iOS here and Android here.
Shopping
We expect to be able to buy anything we need online. In China, we all know TaoBao sells just about anything, at great prices and products are delivered swiftly and efficiently. As consumers, our rights are ensured and through feedback, delivery and quality guarantees, our shopping experience is pretty much guaranteed to be a good one.
The same can be said in most Western countries through the use of Amazon. Like Taobao, we can buy from individual sellers, and most large retailers and brands also have their own stores.
Grab the Amazon app for iOS here and Android here – Check out some office products on Amazon here
Grocery Shopping
Supermarkets are still everywhere in the UK. Over the last few years, German deep-discounter giant brands Aldi and Lidl have taken a huge chunk of the market share. However, online grocery shopping, like most other countries, is on the rise in the UK and the premier brand is Tesco. It’s a mid-range brand that sells almost anything you can think of, but excel in groceries and the company’s range of foods also includes Asian goods.
Get the Tesco app for iOS here and Android here.
Food Takeaway Ordering and Delivery
When you don’t have the time or energy to prepare food, food ordering apps are so convenient. Meutuan and Elema in China are mega prevalent and both showcase most local restaurants, providing choice, speed and value to hungry mouths. Just Eat is the UK equivalent and features most local takeaway services within any area. Pay using a debit or credit card, Apple Pay if Google Pay, or Paypal.
Grab the FoodHub app for iOS here and Android here.
Contactless Payment
Whilst we’re on the subject of payments, contrary to belief, the UK has featured contactless payment for years. It might not have taken off as dramatically as WeChat Pay or AliPay, though. The majority of contactless payments involve holding one’s debit or credit card close to the terminal, but two mobile contactless payment apps dominate. ApplePay for iOS devices, but the largest cross-platform mobile contactless payment app award goes to Google Pay.
Like all phone payment apps, you’ll need to attach a debit or credit card. Brush near the terminal and you’ve paid! Grab Google Pay for iOS here and Android here now!
Meeting People
Meeting like-minded people can be a challenge, especially in another country. MeetUp enables you to search for local meetings and groups, from sports groups to events and to special interests MeetUps.
Links for MeetUp for iOS here and Android here!
Maps
Although there are some superb Chinese maps, such as Baidu Maps, the listings and locations will not include many Western businesses and locations.
Go for Apple Maps and you’ll find this also works very well on your return to China.
Apple Maps is also very good for sourcing transport in real time, in all countries.
Grab Apple Maps for iOS here and to navigate on Android, grab the DuckDuckGo app here!
Clothing
Although perhaps on the younger side of the clothing industry, the ASOS app provides a huge range of reasonably-priced clothing, all of which can be ordered for delivery through the app
Grab the Asos app for iOS here and Android here.
Health
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is its free-of-charge health service. However, overseas visitors will need to either ‘pay as you go’ or provide adequate proof of health insurance. The NHS app provides all the information you need to know to source medical services in the country.
Of course, there’s almost an app for anything in the K, but these ten apps will enable you to function in the UK indefinitely. Enjoy your stay!
To get the NHS app, click here for iOS and here for Android.
