Cash is still King in China

[神威98]

We tried to purchase a Pura70 ultra at various Huawei outlets in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. No success. Huawei does not directly process Visa/Mastercard. Linking those cards thru Weixin for cashless transactions was to no avail. We had Weixin payments for as much as 8800 went thru. Other times, it was a lottery gamble. We tried to pay for CNY 14 subway fares thru Weixin and failed.

If you're a foreigner traveling to China, bring lots of cash. I don't ever recall any merchant outright refuse cash (paper money) payments. Especially if you plan on using the subway, bring lots of 10's and 5's paper notes as the subway ticketting machines do not accept higher bank notes.

Nevermind all the non-sense spewed on DPK about China being a cashless society. I you plan on using Weixin for cashless payments it's a coin flip. Sometimes Visa/Mastercard will accept your Weixin payments, other times it will outright refuse them!

Cash is King, was and will be for a long time to come...!

 

[冖_冖]

Travel Like a Local: How To Use Alipay In China vs WeChat Pay​

Travel like a local in China with this guide on how to use Alipay and why I think it beats WeChat Pay. Learn how to set up an Alipay account for foreigners and use it for seamless transactions in China.

What You Need To Know BEFORE You Visit China (don't make these mistakes!)​

 

[神威98]

Travel Like a Local: How To Use Alipay In China vs WeChat Pay​

Travel like a local in China with this guide on how to use Alipay and why I think it beats WeChat Pay. Learn how to set up an Alipay account for foreigners and use it for seamless transactions in China.

What You Need To Know BEFORE You Visit China (don't make these mistakes!)​

Don't listen to any of those videos. Basically, the only feasible way to use Weixin (as a foreigner) is to link it to your Visa/Mastercard. Weixin is like Paypal, it's not the one who determines whether your transaction succeeds! That power of approval belongs to Visa/Mastercard.

Any foreigner using Weixin is subject to the mercy of Visa/Mastercard. Bascially, don't ever count on any Weixin transaction to succeed. If it does it's your lucky hour/place or time of day....

Using Weixin is akin to gambling. Are you willing to gamble you're able to obtain the subway fares to get home to your hotel? If not then bring cash!

 

[冖_冖]

Don't listen to any of those videos. Basically, the only feasible way to use Weixin (as a foreigner) is to link it to your Visa/Mastercard. Weixin is like Paypal, it's not the one who determines whether your transaction succeeds! That power of approval belongs to Visa/Mastercard.

Any foreigner using Weixin is subject to the mercy of Visa/Mastercard. Bascially, don't ever count on any Weixin transaction to succeed. If it does it's your lucky hour/place or time of day....

Using Weixin is akin to gambling. Are you willing to gamble you're able to obtain the subway fares to get home to your hotel? If not then bring cash!

Why not choose Alipay