Using International Cards in China: Visa, Mastercard, Amex and ATMs

Yes, you can use a Visa or Mastercard in China, but mostly not by handing it to a cashier. The main way is to link your card to Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) or WeChat Pay (微信支付, Wēixìn Zhīfù) and pay by scanning QR codes, which works almost everywhere. You can also tap or insert the card itself at places that show your card's logo, such as larger hotels, airports, malls and the metro in a few big cities, and you can take out yuan cash at bank ATMs. Alipay accepts American Express only on cards issued by American Express itself, not on Amex cards issued by partner banks, while WeChat Pay lists American Express without that restriction.

Paying with the card itself: where it works

The rule from China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, is simple: if the shop shows the logo of your card network at the till, you can pay with that card, and if there is no logo you can ask the cashier whether your card is accepted. In practice, you see the logos most at bigger hotels, airports, department stores and malls.

That list has been growing because of a national policy. In March 2024 the State Council told local governments to draw up lists of key places (big shopping districts, scenic areas, museums, entertainment venues, hotels, transport hubs and hospitals) and told banks and payment companies to upgrade card machines there so they accept foreign bank cards, including contactless payment. The official summary of the idea is "large payments by card, small payments by QR code, cash as the fallback". It pushes places to accept foreign cards, but it does not mean every hotel or attraction already does.

The starting point was low. A 2023 survey found that fewer than four in ten shops and restaurants in the main shopping districts of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen accepted foreign cards, and small everyday merchants mostly took QR codes only. It has improved since: the central bank reported 1.61 million foreign-card payments in June 2024, roughly double the number in February of that year. Shanghai has gone furthest, with 96,000 card machines at 66,000 merchants able to take both Chinese and foreign cards by the end of March 2025.

At merchants that use Bank of China as their card processor, the machines accept UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and Diners Club, and you can tap a chip card (Apple Pay and similar phone wallets included), insert it, or swipe a magnetic-stripe card. Visa and Mastercard logos are the ones you will see most often; American Express, JCB and Diners Club are accepted mainly at bigger hotels and at merchants that use Bank of China, such as airport shops, malls and restaurants.

Noodle shops, street food, market stalls, small convenience stores and taxis mostly run on QR codes, so do not plan a day around the card alone, even in Shanghai.

The most useful place your physical card works is the metro in some cities. In Beijing you can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the ticket gates of every line, with JCB and American Express added from 15 June 2025, and you do not need to buy a ticket or download an app first. Shanghai and Chengdu have similar systems, while several other big cities do not; the FAQ below has the city-by-city details.

Linking your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay

For everyday spending this is the method that matters. Both apps let you add a foreign card without a Chinese bank account. You then pay by scanning the shop's QR code or showing your own payment code, and the app charges your card in yuan.

The two apps accept slightly different cards. Alipay lists UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover, and since 25 February 2025 it also takes American Express cards issued by American Express itself (not those issued by partner banks) — check the add-card screen for the latest list. WeChat Pay lists all of those plus American Express. Set up both: if one app rejects your card, the other may still accept it.

Fees. WeChat Pay charges no fee on a single payment of up to 200 yuan and 3% on payments above that, and if you get a refund the fee is returned in proportion — check the payment screen, which shows any fee before you confirm. Alipay has its own fee rule for foreign cards, and its payment confirmation screen shows the fee before you pay, so check it there. For a big bill such as a hotel stay, ask whether you can pay by card directly at the counter instead.

Limits. WeChat Pay sets a limit for foreign cards of 6,500 yuan per payment, 50,000 yuan per month and 65,000 yuan per year; confirm the current figures in the app's wallet settings. On Alipay, an account without identity verification can spend up to US$2,000 a year; once you verify with your passport, the limits rise to US$5,000 per payment and US$50,000 a year.

What you need. WeChat Pay accepts a passport (and a few other ID types for permanent residents and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents), and you do not need a mainland Chinese phone number. Alipay asks you to register with your phone number, add the card, and submit your passport details before your first payment.

What you cannot do. With a foreign card, the apps are for paying shops and services only. Alipay does not allow person-to-person transfers, red packets (红包, hóngbāo, the digital cash gifts Chinese friends send each other), investments or insurance. WeChat Pay also blocks red packets and personal transfers on foreign cards — check the app if this matters to you.

The step-by-step setup, with fixes for when a card will not link, is in our guides to using Alipay with a foreign card and using WeChat Pay with a foreign card. The central bank's payment guide for visitors to China (in Chinese) is the official reference for which cards each app accepts.

Taking out cash at ATMs

You will need some cash for the odd place that takes nothing else, and an ATM is the easiest way to get it with a foreign card. Not every ATM accepts foreign cards, so look for your card network's logo on the machine.

Bank of China is the safest first choice. Its ATMs accept UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express around the clock, with a limit of 3,000 yuan per withdrawal, and the fees are set by your own bank. Bank of China's English page on foreign-card ATM withdrawals has the details. If you need more, you can make another withdrawal, within the daily limit your own bank sets.

China Construction Bank lists UnionPay cards issued abroad, Mastercard, Visa and JCB for cash withdrawals at its ATMs, with no mention of American Express; use an ATM inside a branch and check the card network logos on the machine.

Other big banks. Most of the large national banks have ATMs that take foreign cards, though not at every branch. In Guizhou province, for example, the provincial foreign affairs office lists ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, China Merchants Bank, SPDB, China Everbright Bank and China Guangfa Bank as banks with ATMs for foreign cards. In Beijing, an ICBC machine at the Fuxingmen branch takes Visa and Mastercard and can also give out 10-yuan notes, and the same model is installed at the payment service centre at Beijing Daxing International Airport. The same 2024 national policy that covers card machines also tells banks to keep upgrading ATMs for foreign cards.

Limits and fees at other banks. Other banks' guides generally do not list a per-withdrawal limit for foreign cards. Your own bank decides your daily cash limit and its fee, so check both in your card terms before you go, and if the ATM's bank adds a charge of its own, the screen should show it before you confirm.

Use ATMs inside or next to a bank branch during opening hours, so staff can help if the machine keeps your card. If your bank charges per withdrawal, a few larger withdrawals cost less than many small ones. For how much cash to carry and other ways to get it, see do you need cash in China and where to exchange money in China.

UnionPay and prepaid options

UnionPay (银联, Yínlián) is China's own card network. If your bank at home issued you a UnionPay card, you are in the best position of any visitor: UnionPay cards work at every merchant in China that has a card machine. UnionPay cards issued outside mainland China can also be linked to Alipay and WeChat Pay, with your bank confirming your identity when you add the card. Most Western visitors will not have one, and you do not need one, but if your bank offers a UnionPay card for travel it is worth asking about.

If your card will not link to the apps, or you would rather not put your main card into them, there are a few prepaid options:

• UnionPay app (云闪付, Yúnshǎnfù). You can apply for a prepaid "travel card" inside the app and top it up for online and in-store payments; card linking in this app supports UnionPay cards issued in Hong Kong, Macau and certain other regions. If you hold a Visa or Mastercard, check in the app whether it accepts your card; Nihao China and the Alipay TourCard below are the options built for those cards.
• Nihao China. A newer app from UnionPay, launched in December 2025, that you can sign up for with an email address or phone number; its Tour Wallet can be topped up online with a Visa or Mastercard, or you can link a card directly. One app scans UnionPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay payment codes, and its transit codes cover the metro in 43 major cities and buses in more than 1,760 areas. Check the top-up fees and limits in the app before you load money.
• Alipay TourCard. A prepaid card inside Alipay, issued by Bank of Shanghai, that you can top up only with a foreign card; like a linked card, it cannot be used for transfers, red packets or investments. The top-up screen shows the current fee, so check it there before you load money.

For most visitors, linking a card directly to Alipay or WeChat Pay is simpler than any prepaid wallet. Prepaid options are the backup. China's digital currency, the e-CNY, is another app-based option: visitors can register with a foreign phone number and top it up with a Visa or Mastercard. Our guide to the digital yuan for tourists covers whether it is worth installing.

Hidden costs: your bank's fees and the exchange rate

Whatever route you use, your own bank sees a payment in a foreign currency. Many banks add a foreign transaction fee, often in the range of 1–3% depending on the bank, on top of any fee the payment app charges, so check your card's terms before you go. For Alipay payments, the exchange rate comes from your card network and your bank, your card statement shows the final amount, and you carry any exchange-rate loss. ATM withdrawals may also carry a separate cash-withdrawal fee from your bank; check the same card terms for it.

The other cost to watch is dynamic currency conversion (DCC). This is when a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency instead of yuan. Visa's rules say the screen and receipt must show both amounts, the exchange rate and any extra fee or markup, that the choice must be yours, and that the merchant must not pick for you or push you with bigger or brighter buttons; if that information is missing or you feel pressured, Visa recommends declining DCC and reporting it to your bank.

Our advice is to choose yuan (shown as CNY or RMB) every time, so your own bank does the conversion at the rate and fee you already know. With the home-currency option the merchant's side sets the rate, which is hard to compare at the till. If a cashier has already picked your home currency, ask them to cancel and run it again in yuan.

Which cards to bring, and what to do before you fly

A setup that covers almost every situation:

• Two cards on different networks, for example one Visa and one Mastercard, both accepted by Alipay and WeChat Pay. Link both to Alipay and WeChat Pay. If one card is declined or blocked, you can switch to the other in seconds.
• One card you use for ATM cash, ideally a debit card with low ATM and foreign transaction fees.
• Amex or JCB as a third card only: JCB links to both apps; Amex links to WeChat Pay, and to Alipay only if American Express itself issued the card.
• A little cash from an ATM on arrival, for the rare place where nothing else works.

If your current cards charge foreign transaction fees, a travel-focused card such as Wise or Revolut is worth comparing with what you have. Get it well before the trip so the physical card arrives in time.

Before you fly:

1. Tell your bank you are going to China, or turn on overseas use in your banking app. A first payment from China can look unusual to a fraud system.
2. Check your daily spending and cash limits, and raise them if a hotel deposit or a big purchase could hit them.
3. Turn on contactless payments. Shanghai's metro, for example, needs contactless payment without a PIN switched on for small amounts, and enough balance or credit on the card.
4. Save your bank's overseas phone number in your phone and on paper.
5. Install and set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with both cards linked. Our list of apps to install before you go covers the rest of the phone setup.

Keep the two cards in different places so a lost wallet does not take both. For how cards, apps, cash and the e-CNY fit together, see understanding Chinese payment systems.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

Your foreign card works in China mainly through Alipay and WeChat Pay, so link it to both before you fly. Use the card directly where you see its logo, at bigger hotels, airports, malls and on the metro in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, and use Bank of China ATMs for cash. Always pay in yuan, bring two cards on different networks, and tell your bank about the trip. For cash planning, read where to exchange money in China next.

Last updated: November 2026