I sent you a PM that will address most your tech-related issues. I only mention the PM here because if you're like me, you might not notice it until months later.

Since I don't have an active Amex account at present, I have not tried to add one to wx, but both Visa and MC work pretty much everywhere (e.g. even hole in the wall places) now; previously, it was limited to big vendors like Didi and China Mobile.

Pardon?

On most occasions, I absolutely did not find that places accepted my U.S. credit cards. Granted, I didn't roll in Shanghai (or Beijing:/), but I pretty much wandered each day knowing that the first utterance to a shopkeep had to be "will you accept cash?" (Yes, I know they legally have to, but it's not always an argument worth the time.)

As mentioned up-thread (or in the WeChat thread), trip.com made seamless hotel and train ticket purchases (using U.S. credit cards).

Nevertheless, save for the QR code annoyances and silent e-bikes trying to bowl sidewalk strikes, China was -- and I reckon will continue to be -- a joy to visit.

Foreign card acceptance is one of the main recent (i.e. post Ap Tour Pass) subtopics in the Wx/Ap thread.

How were you able to maintain your CM # while you were away for four years? Which plan do you have?

I can finally go cashless with AP/WX tied to my Chase Sapphire Reserve?

Moondog wasn't talking about VISA/MC per se, but only in the context of Alipay/WeChat. I just finished a two week trip in China, and was pleasantly surprised to find that WeChat + MasterCard was accepted almost everywhere. The one exception (where WeChat required the use of the cash balance, of which I have zero) had an Alipay code that worked with MasterCard.

One caveat, I was actually using WeChat Pay HK so things might be slightly different with WeChat but I expect the MasterCard acceptance to be similar with the latter.

Ah, I'm up to speed now. It wasn't clear -- in this thread, anyway -- that you meant cc usage through QR codes.

In any event, I'm curious if you've found regular credit card swipes to be extremely rare in Shanghai. Certainly, western chain hotels would take them, but how about upscale restaurants, or even French Concession cafés?

reply
 

-I really hate both my Amex cards when here, but have 3 Chase cards that all work good. (Actually, same Amex problems when in Costa Rica on Pacific fishing trips)
we will see what happens in rural areas next weekend , I'm in Beidaihe at the new marriott resort on the ocean.

I do actual swipes very rarely. Based on my understanding, the QR codes are more secure and smaller merchants don't have POS machines, so it's an easy decision. I believe contactless CC transactions are more secure than both; these aren't super common yet here.

Contactless UnionPay is relatively common, I sometimes did that a few years back when banks were doing CC promotions. Contactless VISA/MasterCard is obviously less common, just because VISA/Mastercard themselves are less common.

The only use I get out of my ICBC contactless visa and Union pay cards is when I’m overseas. I haven’t seen any contactless readers in China but I wouldn’t think to look since I’d never consider using a card.

Even crappy old POS machines seem to support contactless 5 years ago, the reader is usually near the top of the machine where the dispaly is:

https://www.wansudu.com/Uploads/imag...6307531184.jpg
But yeah I haven't seen a contactless promotion in years so there's not much point in using it these days.

Just venting.....
 

Day 7 of my trip on the mainland (11 if you include my time in Taiwan).....

A few foreign tourists are back, but still not many. Outside Beijing, a little frustrated by the lack of any English subtitles. I know China has such a large domestic tourism market it doesn't feel the "need" to accomodate others, but it just makes things frustrating for those who have already taken steps to adjust to the local way of doing things.

The worst example that repeatedly comes up is the necessity of booking museum and exhibition visits online using WeChat or any local appli. Scanning the required QR code takes you to that site's Wechat page, and then you have to follow a variety of steps like enter your ID, name, book a slot, etc.... all in Chinese. Most places have gotten rid of ticket counters, so that's the only way of getting entry. Then of course, once you get in, everything also uniquely in Chinese.

Then there was the long distance train station. I could only find my quai/platform based on train n° and departure time, as the train destination was displayed only in Chinese.

Many restaurants have you order and pay all online using Weixin/Alipay only. Great......the prompts are only in chinese. I'm blindly clicking on what I think are right buttons to make and pay for my food order. It could very well be "empty your linked credit card" and I wouldn't know.

Personally, I have a notable advantage in being able to speak mandarin to sometimes resolve issues, although thesedays, I've also felt really lost at times due to dialect differences (family from Taiwan and zéro prior exposure to the mainland). And of course, I'm blind cuz I can't read more than probably 10 words. I don't know if it's asking for a name, passport n°, telephone.......

Again, issues aren't unique to China ; I could see someone from here going to say, Europe or the US and having similar issues. But here there's often no fallback option and to welcome foreign tourists at attractions, you gotta have a 2nd language option and things that don't rely on technology that is unique to the local market.

WhatsApp messaging partially works (more on that later; messages and voice calls only, no média), but I have no idea what is with the lag/delay in sending receiving messages.

I think you just get used to it, and adapt via helpful translation apps (Instant Translator, etc.).
Know what you mean, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I manage to get pretty much anything done that needs doing, without speaking or reading Chinese.

Not very short-term tourist friendly though, I agree there.

My dad, who's never been to the mainland, always says "just use Google Lens, it translates !"

"FOR THE TENTH TIME, GOOGLE SERVICES DON'T WORK HERE !" :rolleyes:

In all seriousness though, being of chinese origin, I take it personally hard on myself when I cannot understand something here, which is why i'd like a crutch to avoid the embarassment of asking "could you click/say it to me ? Can't read it....."

Most Google apps, including Lens, work in China, but for stuff like maps, you need to be okay with 5 year old data and ~1000 meter offsets.

Lots of Chinese apps, even WeChat, for example, do a great job at OCR + translation.