The Chinese payment system has a gap in the middle: nearly everything is payable by QR, and nearly nothing is payable by foreign plastic. Cash sits in that gap — legally protected, practically awkward, occasionally essential.
How much to carry
For a two-week city trip with Alipay working: ¥500–1,000 total, in ¥100 and ¥50 notes plus a handful of ¥10s. For a rural or western-China trip including temples, small buses and village guesthouses: ¥2,000–3,000.
The mistake is carrying ¥10,000 “just in case” and then worrying about it in a hotel safe. Cash is easy to obtain in cities and hard to obtain in exactly the places you would want it.
Where cash still genuinely matters
- Temple and shrine donations — often cash-only, and the boxes do not take QR.
- Rural buses and shared taxis in Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu and Guangxi.
- Village guesthouses and family restaurants outside major tourism corridors.
- Markets where the vendor is elderly and uses a personal QR code linked to a Chinese bank account that may reject foreign funding.
- Emergencies — a dead phone, a lost wallet, a hospital deposit counter.
ATMs that work with foreign cards
| Bank | Foreign card success | Typical limit per withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of China (BOC) | High | ¥2,500–5,000 |
| ICBC | High | ¥2,500–5,000 |
| China Construction Bank (CCB) | Medium | ¥2,500 |
| Agricultural Bank (ABC) | Medium | ¥2,500 |
| China Merchants (CMB) | Medium–high | ¥3,000 |
| Airport / mall ATMs | High | ¥2,500 |
Fees come in two layers: your own bank’s foreign withdrawal charge (often a flat $3–5 plus a percentage) and a local fee that some Chinese banks waive for foreign cards. Withdraw the maximum per transaction to minimise the fixed component.
Big notes are a problem
A ¥100 note is roughly €13, and it is the smallest note most ATMs dispense. In a city, breaking one is trivial. In a village, handing over ¥100 for a ¥8 bowl of noodles can consume the shop’s entire float. Ask for smaller notes at a bank counter, or break big notes at convenience stores and chain coffee shops, which always have change.
Fake notes and the practical check
Counterfeiting exists but is far less common than the internet suggests. The simple habit that protects you: never accept a large note from a street vendor or taxi driver who then offers to “help” you find change. Take the note back, hand over exact change, or walk away.
Leftover cash
You cannot spend yuan outside China easily and airport exchange rates are poor. Spend it down on the last day — airport shops accept cash and there is a duty-free zone. Or keep ¥200–300 for your next trip; if you are likely to return, a folded note in the passport wallet is genuinely useful for the taxi queue.