China ATMs
 

I think it's fairly well known that using Western-issued ATM cards in China can sometimes be problematic -- even if the ATM machine has "your logo" (like Maestro) on it. I've had some problems in the past, but was always able to find a Bank of China machine that worked for me.

Can anyone give me an update on the ATM situation. I assume Bank of China is still almost a "sure thing"? What about other major banks that work? And what's the option of last resort: do I still need to bring some US dollars, just in case?

Thanks.

Bank of China has the ATMs that always seem to work for me.

I'm in China now, and exchanged some cash at the border, but haven't used an ATM yet. I'll let you know if I run into any problems. I always have some cash with me though.

Maybe it depends where you are going? I visit Shanghai regularly and have taken money out of just about every bank's ATM and never had a problem.

The only difficulty I have come across is that some banks have a transaction limit... at the Agriculatural Bank it was RMB1000... although strangely enough it allowed me to do two consecutive transactions of 1000 each (didn't even have to take the card out!).


But yeah - bank of China is ok, as are all the major internationals.

I very rarely have any issues, even in some of the most remote provinces, using a UK-issued Visa branded debit card in China. Very occasionally I encounter issues with (i) ATMs that are not attached to banks (for example in airports, shopping malls); and (ii) ATMs from some of the non-national banks (e.g. Pudong Development Bank). These seem to be down to communication issues betwen the ATM and the bank - the connection seems to time out and the transaction is then either accepted or rejected, depending on how the ATM has been programmed.

As others note, there can be transaction limits on machines. I have found ATMs that are limited to RMB800 or RMB1000 per transaction, even with domestic cards, and will decline requests for over that amount. Even the most generous machines will impose an RMB2500-3000 limit per transaction. For these machines, you can simply reinsert the card and repeat the transaction until you get the amount you want, though of course your transaction fees will mount up.

This topic is kind of old hat and, no, not much has changed.

Construction Bank is the biggest bank and, therefore, has the most ATMs. More importantly, BofA customers don't get hit with ATM fees at all.

Alas, my strategy:

-use BofA as my primary account when I'm in China and keep a look out for Construction ATMs
-keep around $1,000 in my Schwab (reimburses all fees) checking account and pick any random machine whenever the Construction machines are down (was at PEK in April and all of them were offline)

Since I like being able to withdraw small amounts of money on occasion (without paying $5 each time), this approach works well.

Echoing what Moondog said.

Bank of China and China Construction Bank always work for me.

If you look at it as 25-30 bills, it looks more like a technical problem. I haven't found an ATM anywhere where you can get more than 30 bills at a time. Mostly it is 20. The problem in China is the denomination.

I agree with what's been said here, there's also an increasing number of Citibank ATM's and I use those when I can with my Citi account which is fee-free.

To answer your cash question, I usually take some 100's with me just in case since I have been in places where the networks have all been down for several days. In reality, I haven't had to exchange one in some time. Though they do need to be in near perfect condition or they'll reject them.

I just withdrew from a BOC ATM. The max was 2500.

Thanks. OK, I'll also look for Construction Bank ATMs for my cash needs.

And I guess I'll bring some dollars, just in case.

There are also quite a few HSBC and Standard Chartered ATMs around in the major cities. Those are the most reliable for me on any credit or debit card. If there aren't any around, I use Bank of China.

Maybe it's just where I've been in Beijing, but I've had a hard time finding CCB ATMs.

There is one on the departures level of PEK T3. Near the left end as you enter (right as you exit). None inside security.

They aren't quite as ubiquitous in BJ as they are in the south, but there are still lots to be found. I do believe that PEK itself only has 3 CCB machines, though. I really wanted to find one in April after I missed my flight because I was intent on withdrawing a mere Y400 to get me by to the next day, so I asked one of the walkie talkie girls to check on the status of the other two... all were undergoing remote maintenance. I've experienced the exact same phenomenon with BoC ATMs on numerous occasions as well.

This is good news for me with an upcoming China trip and BOA ATM card.

Why this special arrangement?

BOA owns a small percentage of CCB... not sure the exact amount. Used to be 9 percent I believe but BOA sold a portion last year I think.


For my atm needs I use CCB almost exclusively and have a backup account that I use at BOC if needed.