> Not sure about AliPay. But for WeChatPay I'm pretty sure you need WeChat. Which is a monster of an app, requiring a reasonably late model touchscreen device.

Not originally (2013-2014)

> You definitely need a working internet connection to make a payment.

Generally, yes, but not with their new CBDC they're rolling out. It broadcasts transactions to nearby devices and when a device gets network access it broadcasts them on your behalf (of course duplicates are ignored)