What types of foreign credit cards are most commonly accepted in China?
π€Here’s a lil’ summary of the most commonly accepted foreign credit cards in China:
- Visa π€ Widely accepted, including in mobile payment apps like WeChat Pay
- Mastercard π³ Also widely accepted and works with mobile payments like Alipay
- American Express πββοΈ More common at higher-end spots
- Discover π€·ββοΈ Usable at some places and mobile apps
- JCB π§ Usable at certain merchants
- UnionPay π A local Chinese one, super common in the motherland
The deets:
- Foreign cards are more likely to work at hotels, restaurants, and big malls in big cities and tourist areas
- Mobile payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay are your new besties. You can even link some foreign cards to them now π
- Carry multiple card types to increase your chances of swiping success π³π³π³
- Acceptance varies at different merchants, even for the same card network
TL;DR: Visa and Mastercard are your besties in China. But, mobile payment apps are a game-changer too, so make sure to get one set up. Got it? πββοΈ Great! Feel free to hit me up with more questions.
Leave a Reply