Getting Money While in China

Western Union is an international money transfer service used extensively by travelers. While coverage in China is decent, even in a larger city you may find that there are only 1-2 locations where you can pick up money (usually they are the Agricultural Bank branches). There are restrictions, depending on what country the money is being sent from, on how much money can be sent at a time (between $200 from Canada, $1000 from USA, etc.), so you should check into these limitations before deciding if this option is possible. To pick up money you’ll need the Western Union transaction code, the full name of the sender as they wrote it down, and the exact amount of money they sent (in either source currency, such as USD, or in RMB). Money is available to be picked up immediately after the transfer has been paid for.

If you set up a bank account in China after you arrive, you can also have money transferred to you (a ‘wire transfer’) by someone else. You will need to provide the person with all the needed details, such as institution code, routing number, branch number, and account number. A transfer like this may take a week or more before the money is available for you to use.

It may also be possible to use your existing bank or credit card in ATMs in China. Foreign bank cards seem to be very hard to get working, and it is usually only certain ATMs in larger cities where they work. Credit cards such as VISA have a much higher likelihood of working at ATMs across the country, but you should check with your bank or credit card company BEFORE you come to make sure you can use it (and how to use it). The ATMs in China have both English and Chinese. You can typically only take out 2000RMB at a time, up to a maximum of 5000RMB a day. Sometimes at a bank branch ATM, if you type in the wrong password three times, the machine will not give back your card, and you’ll need to go find the service counter and show them your passport to get your card back.