Charles
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 Posted:
12.29.2004 1:06 pm Post subject:
ATMs in China |
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ou can survive quite happily with an ATM card and a couple of hundred
US dollars in cash as back-up, as long as you plan ahead.
In most cases only Bank of China machines will except foreign cards, and
only a limited number of those. Additionally in some of the larger
cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Xiamen, and
Shenzen you will find Hongkong and Shanghai Bank machines.
The first thing to do is to consult your card issuer's website for a
list of addresses of useful ATMs in China, and make notes before your
trip. In some provinces even the smaller towns have ATMs accepting
foreign cards. Some less touristed provinces have no foreigner-friendly
machines whatsoever, even in the provincial capital.
There are four machines at Beijing airport accepting foreign cards, so
if you are starting from there you'll have no problems. Note that
machines often have transaction limits of around Y2500. Make sure you
replenish your stock of cash well before it runs out, and not only
because machines can be far between at times. The Bank of China machines are less reliable than many, and the bank has been known to take all itsmachines off-line for a few days to perform software upgrades.
The US cash is for emergencies (other really big name currencies such as
the euro will do, but US cash is universally recognized). It can be
exchanged for RMB at almost any branch of almost any bank.
Its several years now since I've taken anything other than an ATM card
and a bit of spare cash to China, and I usually spend several months a
year in the country. |
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