Net Savings is a regular series in which we spotlight businesses and services that accept mobile payment methods like online banking, Alipay, WeChat Wallet, and Baidu Wallet.

I’ve written before about searching for deals and promotions on the Dianping website, but I recently discovered a nifty feature within the Dianping app: instant meal discounts upon checkout. This feature is so useful it has become a regular part of my dining out experience.

Since a friend got us 40 percent off at Guanghe Chaxuan, we’ve already used the app to get 15 percent off at Xiangcao Xiangcao (a Yunnan hotpot chain) and Jianghu Weidao (a Xinjiang restaurant).

The only caveat is that the bill must be paid in its entirety through the Dianping app using a mobile payment method like WeChat Wallet or Alipay. Note that the app works best for Chinese restaurants and is entirely in Chinese.

First, download the Dianping app (known in Chinese as 大众点评 dazhong dianping), which is available for iOS and Android.

Once you’ve created an account, find your restaurant (check my previous post for instructions on how to do this). Make sure it’s the right branch.

The restaurant page lists its address, contact details, overall rating, user reviews, and current promotions. You can save venues to your favorites by tapping the star icon on the top right corner of the screen.

Scroll down until you see a little orange icon with a lightning bolt and the word 惠 hui. Next to it is the phrase 闪惠买单 shan hui maidan (“lightning discount checkout”).

Underneath is a list of the restaurant’s current promotions. In this case, Xiangcao Xiangcao offers a 22 percent discount between 11am and 4pm and a 15 percent discount between 4pm and 10pm.

There are sometimes additional promos; for example, Xiangcao Xiangcao offers new users an extra RMB 50 rebate for orders of RMB 500 or more and existing users an RMB 12-50 rebate for orders of RMB 390 or more. (I’m not sure how the latter discount is calculated.)

When you’re ready to maidan, click on 闪惠买单.

A word on discounts: In Chinese, discounts are expressed as a percentage of the original price. That means “7.8折” (zhe) is 78 percent of the original price or 22 percent off and “8.5折” is 85 percent of the original price or 15 percent off.

Enter the bill total under 消费总额 xiaofei zong’e (“total amount”) and the relevant promotions will be automatically applied.

Some menu items, such as alcohol and meal sets, aren’t eligible for discounts; you can enter the total for these separately by checking the box underneath the main line: 输入不参与优惠活动金额（如酒水，套餐）shuru bu canyu youhui huodong jin’e (ru jiushui, taocan (“enter amount non-eligible for discounts”).

You can also use vouchers or promo codes under 代金劵／抵用券／优惠码 daijin juan/diyong juan/youhui ma. For example, here I have several Spring Festival vouchers that expire on March 1. However, note that lightning checkout promotions can’t always be used in combination with vouchers or discount codes.

All told, the total for this bill amounts to around 25 percent (RMB 390 down to RMB 294.2) – not bad at all.

Next, select a payment method (WeChat Wallet, Chinese debit card, QQ Wallet, or Alipay) and tap 确认买单 queren maidan (“confirm payment”).

Once payment is completed, the wait staff will usually write down the Dianping confirmation number for their records.

If you like lightning checkout, there’s a whole category dedicated to the feature on the Dianping home screen. Selecting it will give you a list of participating cafes and restaurants sorted by proximity to you. Happy exploring!

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photo: Creative Commons photo courtesy of Yasmina Haryono (Flickr)

Leather, bass guitars, and greasy hair-dos are the essential thematic props for the 2016 Australian and New Zealand Ball dubbed the Rock n’ Roll Ball that’s going to happen on January 23, 2016 at the Sofitel Wanda Hotel. There are early bird ticket available (not sure for how long) going for RMB 1,100 per person and RMB 11,000 for a table of 10 people.

The normal priced tickets are RMB 1,200 per person and RMB 12,000 per table of 10 people. Email events@austcham.org to book your tickets. Click here to get more information.

Channel your inner Elvis or Stevie Nicks and make your debut at the ball dressed to the nines and hopefully ready to let yourself rock on to the tunes of the band.

Photo: Austcham.org

Net Savings is a regular series in which we spotlight businesses and services that accept mobile payment methods like online banking, Alipay, WeChat Wallet, and Baidu Wallet.

There are essentially two ways to look for deals on Dianping: search a venue to see if they have any current promotions or browse Dianping’s group buy (tuangou) section.

(But first – you did install that Chinese-English translation browser extension I mentioned in the last Net Savings, right? It will make your life much, much easier if you don’t read Chinese.)

Looking Up a Venue
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants is In and Out (一座一忘), a Yunnan chain with branches in Sanlitun and Gongti.

Start by plugging the restaurant’s Chinese name into the search bar. Pinyin usually works too.

From the search results, you can tell that from the red “团” icon next to the restaurant names that both branches of In and Out currently have tuangou promotions.

Click on a listing. Each one details the restaurant’s details address, contact, and opening hours.

Below that are the restaurant or branch’s current tuangou promotions. We’ll click the one on the left, which gets you RMB 100 vouchers for the price of RMB 50.

In the next screen, enter how many RMB 100 vouchers you want in the box above the orange button and click the orange button to check out.

A login screen will pop up. Register on Dianping by entering your mobile number and inputting the verification code sent to your phone. Alternatively, log in through partner sites Alipay and QQ (see orange and blue icons above).

Once you log in, you’ll be able to see the payment options available. From top to bottom, they are: online banking (click here for instructions on setting that up), Chinese credit card, and other mobile payment platforms such as Alipay or WeChat Wallet.

Check out as normal, then Dianping will send you a confirmation email or text with the details of the transaction. Fapiao can usually be provided, but you have to go through the seller.

Browsing Tuangou Deals
If you’re not set on a specific venue, another place to find deals is Dianping’s tuangou section, which looks something like this:

Let’s break down the sections a bit, starting with the left-hand column:

This is a list of categories, which are further broken down into subcategories. The main categories include restaurants, entertainment (such as KTV and spas), movies, hotels, travel, beauty services, “lifestyle” services (such as car services), shopping, marriage, and family services (such as family photography).

The middle of the page allows you to browse tuangou deals by:

• Popular categories (热门分类) such as buffets, sets for 8-10 people, and shaokao (barbecue)
• Area (全部区城), including districts and subway lines
• Popular neighborhoods (热门商区) like Wangjing, Olympic Village, Liangmaqiao/Sanyuanqiao, and more

Further down, there’s a list of handpicked tuangou deals with prices, seller/venue, location/branch, and whether you need to reserve or not. Below that are tuangou deals divided into categories.

It’s always worth checking whether there’s a tuangou promotion for a Chinese-run venue, especially if you’re a large group for birthdays or other events.

For example, Mr. X – a room escape franchise with a location in Gongti – currently has a tuangou deal for RMB 820 (down from RMB 1,080), which includes admission for nine people to a room escape scenario. I went there for my birthday last year and it was lots of fun; it would be suitable for ages 15-16 and up.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Screenshots: Sijia Chen

Good news, the powers that be (well, our marketing department) have decided to add a lot of cheer to your holidays by setting up group discounts. So get calling, WeChatting, or texting all your friends and remember to leave none behind for the Saturday and/or Sunday December 13-14 from 10am-4pm at the The Le Cool Ice Rink at the China World Mall. For seasonal discount codes, be sure to check out couponscollector.com. They regularly post updates on new and expired codes on that site.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 3-4 kids: 10% off (If one child is a club member then the other(s) get the member rate)
• 5-9 kids: 20% off (If one child is a club member then the other(s) get the member rate)
• 10 and above: 50% off (if all kids are non-members, they can also enjoy member price)

The tickets are RMB 100 (beijingkids club members) and RMB 150 (non-members). What will tickets get you:

Skate rentals (90 minutes)
Santa hats
A portrait with Santa**
Holiday treats and goodies
Presents for kids***

Caution:
Skating instruction, gloves, and helmets are not provided with the event. Parents are responsible for their child’s safety.

Ticket Clarification
* Due to space constraints, each child ticket comes with a maximum of two (2) adult non-skating passes. Parents who wish to skate will need to purchase an additional skating ticket for RMB 50 per person in advance.
** During the event, Santa will take photos with kids outside on the ground level of China World Mall (outside the Tiffany store). Join our Christmas Fair there to enjoy more refreshments, hot beverages, and Christmas treats.
*** Each child will receive one present from Santa Claus.

Advance reservations required. Contact events@beijing-kids.com or 5779 8877 to book your tickets.

Finding the right school is often the top priority for families living in or relocating to Beijing. But education in the capital comes at a cost.

Many larger companies offer full school funding for employees’ children as part of their relocation packages, meaning that money is no barrier to the top international schools. But not all are so fortunate. Some may choose to simply pay the fees out-of-pocket, while others look to local schools, homeschooling, and different sources of financial assistance to mitigate the cost of education. We spoke with four families about their solutions to the school funding conundrum.

Scholarship: The Lay-Him Family

Yearly Spend (in RMB)

• Tuition
• Bus
• Uniform

Total: RMB 101,800

US-born Christopher Lay has lived in Beijing for five years, where he works as a photographer, writer, and beijingkids columnist. He lives in Wangjing with his wife Savvy Him (a full-time working mom), their 6-year-old daughter Reina, and toddler twins Bryson and Ryder (age 1). Reina started attending Daystar Academy after receiving a scholarship.

What is the nature of the scholarship?
Reina was awarded a scholarship to attend Daystar Academy by the board of directors. It was based on how well Reina [and our]family were a good fit for the school and our need [for]financial support. The scholarship covered the entrance and lunch fees and reduced the tuition to a level that we could manage. There are only a limited number of scholarships awarded each year and we felt very fortunate to receive one.

How was the scholarship assessed and awarded?
Upon enrolling at Daystar, all applicants receive an assessment from an English and Chinese teacher. The school also reviewed Reina’s records from kindergarten. In addition, the board also needed our financial records. I believe that, because Reina was already fluent in both languages (she previously attended a local kindergarten) and understands both Western and Chinese cultural differences, she was an ideal candidate for the school.

How much help has it been financially for you?
The scholarship made all the difference on our school choice for Reina. She really wanted a bilingual educational experience, but without the assistance from the board, Reina would be attending a local school here in Wangjing.

Did you look at scholarships from other schools?
We did not apply to other schools since most are much more expensive than Daystar and few have a similar bilingual approach. [The school] always felt like the best fit for our family. Our backup was the Wangjing Experimental School as it is close to home, but honestly, we were all in on Daystar.

You have 1-year-old twins. What are your plans for financing their education?
Sell one to pay for the other’s education? That is an excellent question that remains to be answered. We considered homeschooling Reina in the past, but it never felt like a good fit for her. With twin boys, homeschooling might be a viable option. Unless our finances change dramatically, there is no way we can afford international school prices for three children in Beijing. Beyond kindergarten, Beijing may not be viable unless we homeschool or the boys go to a local school.

Find the downloadable 2014-2015 School Choice Guide here.

Photo by Ken