Can you withdraw cash from an ATM in China with a foreign card?
Yes, at an ATM that shows the logo of your card's network. Bank of China (δΈε½ιΆθ‘, BOC) says its ATMs support withdrawals and balance inquiries around the clock with major cards issued outside China. For one withdrawal on a foreign card, the limit is 3,000 yuan. Your own bank decides your fees and your daily limit.
The rest of this page covers which machines to look for, what the official pages say about limits and fees, the airport ATMs in Beijing and Shanghai, and what to do if the machine keeps your card. For the wider picture on cash, exchange and the other ways to pay, see Is cash accepted in China.
Which Chinese bank ATMs take foreign cards, and which networks?
Bank of China's ATM page gives a network list. It names UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express for its own ATMs. It also says the services available for your card are determined by the overseas issuing bank.
That page covers BOC machines only. It does not say whether ICBC, CCB, ABC, Bank of Communications or China Merchants Bank ATMs take the same five networks. The pages that speak for ATMs in general give a logo rule instead of a bank list:
- The State Council's English site (Xinhua, 11 April 2024) says RMB cash can be withdrawn with bank cards at ATMs with logos of corresponding bank card organizations.
- Shanghai's government page says overseas cards can withdraw RMB at ATMs across Shanghai that display the matching payment network logo. Its list of seven networks (UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover) is written for shop card terminals, not ATMs, so it does not tell you which of them an ATM takes.
- The People's Bank of China's guide for Shanghai says all ATMs and CRS machines in Shanghai support UnionPay card withdrawals. It does not explain what CRS means. The page shows the date 16 March 2024, next to a line that reads Date of last update Nov. 29 2018.
Outside Shanghai, the logo check is the only rule the national page gives: if the machine shows your card's logo, it should take the card.
ATM withdrawal limit in China for a foreign card
Bank of China puts the single-transaction limit at 3,000 yuan for foreign cards at ATMs within China. Shanghai's government page says withdrawals with overseas cards are generally subject to a 3,000-yuan per-transaction limit. It adds that some ATMs may impose additional restrictions.
Neither page gives a daily number. Both hand that to the card-issuing bank: BOC says daily and annual cumulative limits are determined by the issuing bank, and Shanghai says the issuer may set its own daily or monthly limits. Neither page says whether you can run a second withdrawal straight after the first.
The BOC page does not cover ICBC, CCB, ABC, Bank of Communications or China Merchants Bank, so it does not say whether those banks use 3,000 yuan too. The Shanghai page says only "generally".
Who charges the fee when you use a foreign card at a Chinese ATM?
Bank of China's ATM page says the fees for cash withdrawals and inquiries are determined by the overseas issuing bank. That points to your own bank. The page does not say whether BOC adds a fee of its own, and it gives no fee amount. Shanghai's government page on overseas bank cards does not mention ATM fees; the fees it lists are for cards linked to Alipay or Weixin Pay.
Before you leave, ask your bank three things: what it charges for a withdrawal at a foreign ATM, whether it adds a foreign-transaction fee, and what its daily limit is.
ATMs at Beijing and Shanghai airports, and small notes
Both cities set up airport help points for foreign visitors in 2024. All the figures below are from 2024 reports, so treat them as how things were reported then.
Beijing Capital and Daxing
- A February 2024 State Council report says the payment service centers at Capital and Daxing airports sit near the exit of the international arrival halls. Staff there can help with using ATMs for cash withdrawals. The Capital Airport center has an ATM.
- The same report says the two airports together have five bank outlets, seven manned exchange counters, 24 ATMs and one automated exchange machine.
- Beijing's government page for Daxing (PKX), which carries no date, says the Beijing Service counter offers ATM self-service machines and staff will assist you. It also links a video on what you need and the steps for withdrawing from ATMs in the city.
- For small notes, a March 2024 Beijing government news item says ICBC's first integrated cash withdrawal machine dispensing 10-yuan notes was installed at its Fuxingmen Branch on Financial Street, and the same type was then placed at the Payment Service Center at Daxing Airport. Its screen asks for an amount in multiples of 10 or 100 yuan, and it lets foreigners with Visa, Mastercard and other international cards withdraw yuan. ICBC planned wider coverage in key areas of Beijing.
The Capital Airport report does not say what notes that center's ATM gives or which networks it takes.
Shanghai Pudong Terminal 2
The Pudong government site reported that a 24-hour service station opened for trial on 29 June 2024 directly outside the international arrival exit of Terminal 2, with an ATM next to it that allows withdrawals with international bank cards. A staff member there said the ATM supports five major international bank card networks, without naming them. A Shanghai government news item from 26 July 2024 says a BOC ATM at the station supports withdrawals and balance inquiries with foreign bank cards and gives 10-yuan notes.
The Pudong report also says similar stations were expected at Pudong Terminal 1 and Hongqiao Terminal 1 in October 2024. It does not say whether those have ATMs.
How to tell if an ATM will accept your card
- Find the network logo on your card (UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express).
- Look for the same logo on the ATM. The national overview and the Shanghai pages both tie withdrawals to a matching logo.
- On a Bank of China ATM, the five networks BOC lists are supported, though your issuing bank decides which services your card has.
- At an airport, ask at the service counter. The Beijing reports describe staff helping with ATM use, and the Pudong station is described as staffed around the clock with cash withdrawal among its services.
- If a machine refuses your card, try another with your logo. Shanghai's government page notes that some ATMs may impose additional restrictions, and Bank of China says your issuing bank decides which services your card has.
What to do if the ATM keeps your card or the withdrawal fails
If a BOC ATM retains your card, contact BOC branch staff or call 95566. That is the only instruction the bank page gives. It says nothing about a withdrawal that fails while the card comes out, and nothing about other banks' machines. For another bank's ATM, the sensible step is to go to that bank's branch or use the contact printed on the machine. Tell your own card issuer too.
In Shanghai, the government page lists two help lines for payment questions and general help during your stay: UnionPay's customer service line 95516 and the Shanghai Public Service Hotline 12345, which has English support. The page does not say these lines handle kept cards.
ATMs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Xi'an
A Guangzhou government report of a 10 April 2024 press conference says that, as of March 2024, 98% of ATMs in Guangzhou supported overseas-card withdrawals. That is a March 2024 figure, not a current one. See the Guangzhou travel guide for the rest of the trip.
The BOC page and the national overview apply across China, but neither gives city detail for Shenzhen, Chengdu or Xi'an. The logo check works the same way there. City guides: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Xi'an.
If cash does not work out
Try paying by card where the shop shows your logo (foreign credit cards in China) or link the card to an app (WeChat Pay with a foreign card). Neither needs an ATM.
