The mainstream payment method in China is QR code payment, which is accepted by almost all merchants. Large shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels and other major shopping places for foreigners can use overseas bank cards; All merchants accept cash.
When coming to China, you need to make the following preparations.
A prepare a bank card
Prepare bank cards of Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay and other international card associations for ATM cash withdrawal, card consumption and QR code payment to tie up the card.
When coming to China, it is recommended to apply for a UnionPay card, which has more merchants in China and is more convenient to use than Visa and MasterCard.
In order to avoid abnormal card status and over-limit, it is recommended to bring 2-3 bank cards, debit cards and credit cards. Considering the handling fee and transaction success rate, it is recommended to use a debit card for cash withdrawal and a credit card for consumption.
2 Prepare cash
You can bring foreign currency notes to China
After entering the country, exchange RMB at currency exchange points at the airport, self-service exchange machines, or bank branches. Major currencies such as US dollars, British pounds, euros, Hong Kong dollars, Japanese yen, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, and Singapore dollars can be exchanged directly.
Non-mainstream currencies such as Thai Baht, Korean Won, Vietnamese Dong and Indian Rupee are not available at all banks, so you can exchange them at the branches of Chinese banks that support the most currencies.
If the currency of your country is a small currency, such as the Laotian kip, the Myanmar Kyat, the Argentine peso, etc., which cannot be exchanged in China, you need to exchange it before coming to China, such as the US dollar or the euro and other mainstream currencies.
It is not advisable to carry large amounts of cash
It is very convenient to withdraw cash from ATMs in China with a bank card, and it is not recommended to carry a large amount of cash. According to the relevant regulations, the upper limit of RMB cash carried into China is 20,000 yuan, and foreign currency cash exceeding the equivalent of 5,000 US dollars must be declared.
If you are carrying cash, it is recommended that you bring foreign currency to exchange after entering the country, considering that it is more cost-effective to exchange foreign currency in China than in your home country.
Have RMB change ready
Although most merchants accept cash, they sometimes encounter the inconvenience of making change, and common self-service devices such as self-service vending machines and subway ticket vending machines only support change.
It is recommended that you go to the currency exchange office at the airport or any bank branch to exchange the change banknotes for 1 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan and 20 yuan after entering the country.
3. Tie the card and scan the code to pay
You can download Alipay or WeChat to bind an overseas bank card (debit card or credit card) to scan the QR code to pay. If you already have WeChat, you can directly bind the card, if you have not downloaded Alipay or WeChat, it is recommended to download Alipay first.
4. APP online payment
Major apps such as Didi Taxi, 12306 Train Ticket Purchase, and JD Shopping all support Alipay/WeChat online payment, as well as overseas bank card online payment (enter card number, CVV, expiration date, etc.), and you can choose the payment method according to the page prompts.