In one breath
China is largely cashless. Almost no one accepts physical cash, but most accept foreign cards in tourist contexts.
WeChat Pay and Alipay both now allow foreign card linking for visitors — the 'tour' setup takes ten minutes.
Your trip with us is paid in USD before arrival; on-ground spend is street food, gifts, and one or two restaurants.
Both apps now support foreign Visa and Mastercard linking under their “tour” or “international visitor” setup. You install before flying, link a card, and pay by QR scan. Transaction fees average 3%. Your planner walks you through this on a 30-minute call before departure.
Hotels, large restaurants, and most museums accept Visa and Mastercard at the counter. Street food, small stalls, and many cafés do not — they expect QR scan. Bring one card for backup, don’t rely on it as a primary.
We recommend carrying ¥500 – ¥1,000 ($70 – $140) in small notes for the rare occasions a QR system goes down. ATM withdrawal with foreign cards works at Bank of China and ICBC.
Trips are paid in USD before arrival via WeTravel. On the ground, you only spend on small items — gifts, additional snacks, gratuities outside the host team. Expect $30 – $80 per guest per day in optional spend.
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