Originally Posted by
narvik
MERCHANTS Bank is a pretty decent one; has a good app, and they even offered English assistance at the branch I opened the account in (during Covid).
Any monthly fees? Do I need a Chinese phone number? I'm assuming I can link my US credit cards or deposit cash into my account and then use it as normal where if the CC option is denied, it'll automatically deduct from the cash balance? I have never used Alipay or Wechat Pay so I don't know how it works. I have always used cash in China except for hotel bookings where I pay with my credit card.
Originally Posted by
moondog
Hopefully, the only time you should ever have to "deal with" your Chinese bank is when you open your account.
Most of my accounts don't have monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.
Smaller banks often, but don't always, present less red tape than the big guys. I'd be wary of getting too local, though.
Which bank in Shanghai then? Give me an address? I'm going to make this a priority on my next trip back to PVG. I want to join the future like you. I'm assuming a US passport with a tourist visa is enough to open one? Can I give them my US phone number? I really don't want to buy a Chinese sim card if I don't have to.
Originally Posted by
narvik
I always thought it was like this, for the most part:
Beijing = WeChat
Shanghai = Alipay
Sorry, but what?