Originally Posted by
mlin32
I don't know of many merchants (outside hôtels) that accept foreign MC/Visa. I guess it may vary from city to city, but when I visited McDo in Harbin and Chengdu, they didn't accept MC/Visa. Neither did most restaurants or departments stores. But perhaps Shanghai may be different, I have not been there.
Oh, I thought you were including the ability to withdraw cash, which is how I typically use my debit cards. Foreign credit card acceptance has always been a bit spotty, especially on the lower end. Fortunately, wx and ap binding works quite nicely.
Originally Posted by
Duck1981
Whats the acceptance of AMEX in China in large hotels - like say a Ritz Carlton in Shanghai? Can I pay my hotel bill with AliPay which I try to link to my AMEX (if that works)?
Looking at the thread above I'll simply use my work phone with my UK SIM.
Linked transactions incur a ~2% fee for amounts over Y200, so you'll come out ahead by running your card through the hotel's POS system. Bring along a Visa and/or MC, as well, because both are more widely accepted than Amex (but, I'm confident that the RC will take your Amex).