surprised that 7-11 in mainland does not have a wechat refill service - in Hong Kong that's how many people put cash on their train card (called octopus). no need for a bank account. Maybe check out a service called Swapsy which allows transfers to wechat. you might also consider a foreign bank that operates inside china. HSBC continues to work well for me and not locked - but i did have to go tot he branch in LA when my passport expired....
I was in Shanghai recently. Surprisingly, cash worked everywhere - maglev train, taxis, shops, restaurants. It's definitely second choice but I didn't run into any trouble.
Shenzhen a few years ago was a completely different story.
That is generally true - it's the machines which don't always accept cash, not the people. Did you try to order something online or, say, attempt to pay a parking fee?
The only place that didn't have chance was the ferry. I made a show of not having change and they allowed me to throw 1 yuan into the metal hopper instead of 2.
I should mention this was around long yang road to central. I've no idea how bad it gets in the suburbs.
surprised that 7-11 in mainland does not have a wechat refill service - in Hong Kong that's how many people put cash on their train card (called octopus). no need for a bank account. Maybe check out a service called Swapsy which allows transfers to wechat. you might also consider a foreign bank that operates inside china. HSBC continues to work well for me and not locked - but i did have to go tot he branch in LA when my passport expired....
I was in Shanghai recently. Surprisingly, cash worked everywhere - maglev train, taxis, shops, restaurants. It's definitely second choice but I didn't run into any trouble.
Shenzhen a few years ago was a completely different story.
That is generally true - it's the machines which don't always accept cash, not the people. Did you try to order something online or, say, attempt to pay a parking fee?
Was change always available?
No .. I was only doing tourist things.
The only place that didn't have chance was the ferry. I made a show of not having change and they allowed me to throw 1 yuan into the metal hopper instead of 2.
I should mention this was around long yang road to central. I've no idea how bad it gets in the suburbs.