Originally Posted by
i'mlovin'it
I guess I don't really differentiate between the 2. If I can stick an ATM card into it and I can get cash out, I call it an ATM. The machine I saw at PVG, looked to be an ATM and advertised that you could get currency in USD, CAD, and Euros. I didn't look at it too closely but it could have been a forex machine. It was near gate 77.
At Shenzhen, it was definitely an ATM.
The forex machines require you to insert foreign currency in order to receive RMB. Perhaps it's possible to do the reverse and/or insert an ATM card, but I'm only aware of the aforementioned functionality... kind of nice to be able to change money without providing a passport, room number, etc.
OP: I received your PM and am replying here because: 1) I don't have any good advice to offer; and 2) my PM box is almost full again. If you need USD in China, we might be able to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement because my current problem is that I constantly have a stash of greenbacks over there and I've yet to find a bank that is interested in helping me park them (Chinese banks will take them, but as far as I can tell, they charge hefty fees for serving a purpose that is only marginally safer than me hiding them in a clever place). If I could figure out a reliable way to get them into the US banking system, I'd be thrilled.