China runs on mobile payment, but not on your mobile payment — and outside the big cities, a foreign credit card is close to useless. This is the money setup we give every guest before they fly: how much cash to bring, how to make Alipay work with a foreign card, what ATMs actually charge, and the four situations where nothing but banknotes will do.
Nothing ruins the first morning of a trip like standing at a noodle stall with a card nobody can process. It happens to almost every first-time visitor, and it is entirely avoidable — you just need to arrive with two working payment methods, not one.
| Method | Works where | Bring it? |
|---|---|---|
| Cash (RMB) | Everywhere, always, including places with no electricity | Yes — this is the one that never fails |
| Alipay / WeChat Pay with a foreign card bound | City shops, restaurants, taxis, most ticket offices, Didi | Yes, set up before you fly |
| Visa / Mastercard | International hotels, airports, big department stores, upscale restaurants in Chengdu | Yes, but treat it as a backup |
| ATM withdrawal | Bank ATMs in any county town or city | Yes, your mid-trip refill |
| Traveller's cheques, foreign coins, USD cash in a village shop | Nowhere useful | No |
Set up mobile payment at home, not at the airport. Every step — registration, card binding, identity confirmation — is easier on your own WiFi with your own bank's app working normally. Doing it on arrival is how people end up with a half-configured wallet and no cash.
Both Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard and JCB cards issued outside mainland China. You register with your passport, add the card, and pay by scanning a QR code or showing yours. It genuinely works, and in cities it is what everyone uses.
Two things to know before you rely on it:
That is the whole argument for cash. Mobile payment is convenient; it is not dependable enough to be your only method on a trip that takes you four hours from the nearest city.
Card acceptance is good in international hotels, airport shops, large malls and higher-end restaurants in Chengdu and Lhasa. It falls off a cliff the moment you leave those. On the routes we run, expect no card acceptance at:
Also note: a "card accepted" sign at a hotel front desk often means UnionPay, not Visa. UnionPay is the domestic network, and foreign Visa/Mastercard holders cannot use it. If the terminal shows a UnionPay logo only, your card is decorative.
| Trip | Cash to arrive with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 3–4 day city trip (Chengdu, pandas, museums) | ¥500–800 per person | Most city spending is covered by mobile payment; cash is for taxis, small eateries and markets |
| 7–10 day Tibet or Sichuan loop | ¥1,000–2,000 per person | Monastery tickets, remote-town meals, donations, hot-water and toilet stops, the odd night in a place with one shop |
| 12+ day overland (Xinjiang, western Sichuan, Kailash) | ¥2,000–3,000 per person, refilled at ATMs along the way | Long stretches between reliable ATMs; altitude routes have no card fallback at all |
Denominations matter more than the total. Ask for a mix: some ¥100 notes, but plenty of ¥20, ¥10 and ¥5. A ¥100 note at a village tea house at dawn is a problem for everyone. Try to start each day with at least ¥200 in small notes.
Airports on arrival, the foreign-exchange counters at international hotels, and bank branches. Banks give the best rate; hotels and airports the worst; the difference on a few thousand RMB is small enough that convenience often wins. Banks require your passport and 20–40 minutes of your time, and exchange desks inside branches may close earlier than the branch itself.
US dollars and euros are exchanged everywhere. Other currencies may not be accepted at all outside first-tier cities — if you are carrying something less common, exchange at the airport on arrival rather than gambling on a county-town branch.
Your quote lists exactly what is included, and it will normally cover hotels, the vehicle and driver, your guide, entrance tickets, permits, and most meals. What it does not cover is worth budgeting for:
| Your own spending | Rough amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Snacks, water, beer, coffee | ¥30–80 per day | Cash or mobile pay, both fine |
| Monastery offerings and incense | ¥20–100 per visit | Cash only, and small notes |
| Souvenirs, handicrafts, thangka or tie-dye pieces | Very variable | Workshops take mobile pay; village sellers usually do not |
| Optional activities (horse riding, hot springs, photo permits) | ¥50–400 each | Cash at the trailhead |
| Laundry | ¥30–60 per load | Hotel service, usually cash |
| Tip for guide and driver | Entirely optional | Not expected. If you want to, cash in an envelope, given personally on the last day |
As a very rough planning figure, guests on our trips tend to spend ¥150–300 per day on personal items on top of what they have already paid us. Some spend nothing beyond a bottle of water; some go home with a thangka.
China is a low-crime country for travellers, and because almost everything is paid by phone, petty theft of cash is far less common here than in many destinations. Still: don't count a thick wad of notes in public, split your cash between two places, and keep your passport separate from your wallet. Counterfeit notes are rare — the risk to you is loss, not forgery.
In international hotels, big malls, airports and upscale restaurants in Chengdu, yes. In county towns, small hotels, roadside restaurants and temples, assume no. Treat it as a backup, not a plan.
Arrive with ¥1,000–2,000 per person for a trip up to ten days, ¥500–800 for a short city stay, and keep at least ¥200 of it in small denominations at all times.
Yes — both accept Visa, Mastercard and JCB issued outside mainland China. Do it at home so your bank's verification messages reach you. Expect roughly a 3% fee on larger transactions.
The Chinese operator's fee plus your own bank's overseas fee, plus the exchange margin. Withdraw fewer times in larger amounts, and always choose to be charged in RMB rather than your home currency.
No. It is not customary anywhere in China. On our trips it is genuinely optional, and our guides and drivers are properly paid regardless.
No. Shops, restaurants and hotels take RMB only. Exchange at the airport, a bank, or your hotel before you need it.
Fees and limits change. The percentages and thresholds above are the position as we see it in October 2026 and they have moved before. Before you fly, send us your route and we will tell you how much cash to bring for that itinerary — which is more useful than a number on a page.
Every itinerary has different cash needs — a Chengdu city break and a fourteen-day overland to Kailash are not remotely the same. One email and we'll give you a real number.