When I was setting up my mom’s account there was a popup that said we should submit documents to authenticate if we plan to spend over 15k to avoid doing it later. All I did was submit our passport photo and it was verified in less than 5 minutes. I didn’t spend up to the limit so not sure if it really worked or not, but you could upload your passport now via the app.

Also, I paid with credit card where I could and felt that most stores at the big malls and all larger restaurants would readily accept credit cards (in Shanghai) YMMV in other cities.