China Transit Guide

Cash in China for Foreigners: ATMs, Exchange, Your Right to Pay Cash and Tax Refunds

Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06

Cash in China for Foreigners

China runs on mobile payments, but cash is still legal tender, and since February 2026 businesses have firmer obligations to accept it. Carrying some yuan is cheap insurance against a declined card or a dead phone. This guide covers getting cash, where you can use it, what card payments cost, and getting tax back when you leave.

Checked on 6 October 2026. Fees and limits are set by banks and payment platforms and can change.

Getting cash

ATMs. You can withdraw yuan with a foreign bank card at ATMs that display your card network's logo (Gov.cn). Your bank may charge a foreign withdrawal fee; check before you go.

Exchange. You can change money at bank branches showing a currency exchange sign, at qualified financial institutions, or at self-service exchange machines (Gov.cn; SAFE).

Bringing cash in. Declare to customs if you carry more than RMB 20,000 in yuan, or foreign currency worth more than US$5,000 (China Customs).

Your right to pay in cash

The People's Bank of China, the NDRC and the financial regulator issued new rules on accepting cash, in force from 1 February 2026 (PBOC Announcement No. 29 of 2025). In summary:

  • Cash must be accepted where payment is taken by hand, where service is face to face, and for online orders delivered in person where cash can be handed over (Art. 4).
  • No refusing or discriminating against cash. Businesses mustn't refuse cash or treat cash payers less favourably (Art. 3).
  • Self-service setups must display payment options and make arrangements for cash in situations such as mobile payment failures (Art. 5).
  • Businesses must keep change (Art. 8).
  • Lots of coins or small notes: a business can negotiate or point you to a bank, but it can't use that as a reason to refuse (Art. 11).
  • Banks must make cash services easier for foreigners, including placing cash machines with their needs in mind (Art. 12).
  • If you're refused, keep evidence and contact the local PBOC branch (Art. 15).

In practice, carry small notes. A 100-yuan note for a 5-yuan bottle of water is legal but awkward.

What card payments cost

Many visitors pay by linking a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay.

  • WeChat Pay: international card payments up to 200 yuan are free, and above that a 3% fee applies (WeChat Help). If you link a card for the first time, the fee is also waived on daily transactions under 1,000 yuan for 60 consecutive days, saving up to 30 yuan per transaction (Beijing government).
  • Alipay: the author of a widely saved Alipay guide on Xiaohongshu confirms in the comments the same structure: free up to 200 yuan, 3% above (ExploreChinaNow探索中国). Check the fee shown in the app before you pay.
  • Limits: overseas visitors can pay up to US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 a year through mobile payment platforms (Gov.cn).

What this means: split big purchases where it's sensible, or pay large bills such as hotels by physical card. UnionPay cards are accepted at all merchants' card terminals, and other cards where the network's logo is displayed (Gov.cn).

What travellers add

  • Cards get declined for no clear reason. Commenters on the Alipay guide reported Visa cards being rejected, even in large Shanghai malls, with no explanation from customer service. The author's fix: try another card (ExploreChinaNow探索中国).
  • Multi-currency travel cards. A popular entry checklist reports linking a multi-currency debit card to both Alipay and WeChat Pay, and paying shops directly by credit card (全A少女瑞秋).
  • Some features need a mainland bank card. Alipay commenters said certain transfers and orders only accept a Chinese bank card, and that unverified accounts can't pay at all (ExploreChinaNow探索中国). Verify your account with your passport before you travel.
  • New in WeChat. A tech reviewer reported in September 2026 that WeChat had launched TenPayGo, bringing card payments, transport and tax refunds for overseas visitors into one place (阿志玩科技). We couldn't confirm details officially.

Tax refunds when you leave

Overseas visitors can claim back VAT on goods bought at participating stores and taken out of China. The national rules, as expanded in April 2025 (Gov.cn):

  • the minimum is 200 yuan spent at the same store on the same day
  • refunds paid in cash are capped at 20,000 yuan
  • instant refund at the point of purchase is being rolled out nationwide

Shanghai's tax service adds that you must leave China within 90 days of the purchase, and that an instant refund requires a credit card pre-authorisation as security (Shanghai Tax).

A Xiaohongshu checklist mentions claiming a refund on clothes over 200 yuan with a passport and quotes a refund rate (全A少女瑞秋). We haven't repeated the rate because we couldn't confirm it against official sources. The amount you get back depends on the goods and the refund method, so check at the store.

Checklist

  • Two cards on different networks, at least one contactless
  • Alipay and/or WeChat Pay verified with your passport and a card linked
  • Some yuan in small notes, from an ATM or exchange counter
  • Over RMB 20,000 or US$5,000 in cash? Declare it at customs
  • Keep tax refund forms and goods together for departure

For setting up the apps, see how foreigners pay in China. For arrival paperwork, see the entry checklist. On a stopover, check your route with the 240-hour checker.

Traveller reports we referenced

We used these Xiaohongshu posts and their comments for real-world experience and wrote our own summary. Nothing was translated or copied. Fees and rules above come from official sources unless marked as a traveller report.

Sources

Sources