Happy new year everyone,
1st post in 2026. I am travelling to China on 26 Jan and try to book layover accommodation.
Just discovered some amazing deals on China Southern Airlines' official website!
If you're thinking about a last-minute reunion trip or experiencing an authentic Lunar Chinese New Year in China, now's a perfect time to book.
Departure from Syd/Mel/Brisbane/Perth/Adelaide.
Trips may be over 30 days free visa period- check valid visa and entry conditions before booking.
Is it hard to get around china as a foreigner? I heard issues with accepting visa/mastercard and needing specific identity documents for basic things like catching the train
You very much need to set up Alipay/Wechat pay. That covers all the payment issues (except niche things like smart fridges).
You can book everything with your passport. There are a few attractions where you can't book via the Wechat mini app (because it only accepts Chinese ID numbers) but you can go through trip.com etc
Definitely do your research, not a "fly over and work it out" destination imo.
Do you need both AliPay and WeChat Pay or just one
Just the one. Alipay has a translation feature for it's mini apps though.
Better to have both. Because alipay don’t work on some shops while WeChat works and easier to use. Also bring cash just in case. I will bring about $50 worth of Chinese RMB.
Trip dot com is good place to buy tickets while Google and Google map wasn’t allow in China. Only Apple Maps works.
@azm: Baidu or Amaps are much better for maps.
For public transport, you get details on subway arrival time, stopping pattern, which car to take, and the closest exits.
For driving, you get traffic light countdown.
No point using Google maps with VPN.
Definitely both. Out of me and my 2 friends, I was instantly banned from Alipay, my friend was instantly banned from wechat, and all of us had about a 10% failure rate when trying to pay for things.
And people might say don't bring cash, but there are times where you have zero mobile reception such as on a bullet train between cities when you're just in random paddocks for 3 hours. I took about $200 worth and no one ever declined it when I spent it on small things.
Be mindful of the transaction fee that WeChat imposes on any purchases > CNY 200 if you are using a foreign credit/debit card linked to WeChat. It's not much but it adds up. If the vendor allows you to pay in multiple transactions, just split it up so each one is < CNY 200 to save on fees. Also your bank may try to send you an SMS code for verification before the payment can proceed so having either have your Australian SIM card handy to receive text messages, or try another payment method like AliPay or just cash.
Use trip.com to book forbidden city and national museum in Beijing. Both have to be booked in advance and need your passport to gain entry.
Im in China right now. Weirdly enough if you go to proper shops, or have exact cash in Yuan, people will take it. Canton tower and similar places take visa and MasterCard. You can also withdraw cash from any ATM (no fees, thanks Macquarie). I'm not sure why people describe alipay and wechat as a life and death situation. Yes some vendors will only take those and it makes life super easy, but you won't die if you fly over with only cash.
Saying that, please do set up both in Australia before heading over. But if you need to go tomorrow and don't have them set up you'll survive comfortably.
You will genuinely need is a decent VPN. Allows you to connect to free WiFi or chinese sim and have access to google play store, English web browsers etc. I'm using mullvad. My mate's using surf shark or smth, connecting to USA locations is the best. Don't bother with other servers. If you're looking for a detox you could go VPN-less but if you forgot to install smth or need to check email for a login code, then bad luck…
Alipay is super helpful as it has everything in the one app (meaning bullet train booking, hotel booking, didi, etc). Also Chinese sims are crazy cheap. 38 Yuan for a China unicom (was either 3 or 7 year expiry) 180GB data only with mobile number physical sim. You'll need the store vendor to help you apply. And the Chinese number does come in helpful. You will need your passport handy. Also 5g is the default, 4g on an old phone is okay but dookie in comparison.
Further if a merchant/vendor says 100 yuan, instantly negotiate to 50 Yuan. Don't feel bad, they'll still make money if they say yes, but they'll most often hit back with 90 Yuan, you turn around and slowly walk away and you'll hear them rattling off 80! 70! Etc. If they don't lower the price then keep walking and you'll find another guy selling the exact same thing and you can rinse and repeat. Its how capitalism should work…
Ps there is a local price and a white price. BUT! Don't negotiate food and items that have a price displayed. If price isn't displayed then its bartering heaven. Otherwise, it is as it is in Australia. Also chemists/pharmacies are pricey (as in same price or more than in Australia). Get everything in AUS and bring it with you (do check that it can be imparted/brought with you.
Keep passport handy. A printed copy works some/most the times. Don't be wigged out by the fingerprint scanning at customs.
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE VISA FREE, PLEASE STILL COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION THING (otherwise you'll miss a train or connecting flight trying to figure it out!)
Also if you purchase an international train ticket (I.e. Nanning to Hanoi), it is CASH ONLY!
You don't need a VPN if you use an esim from e.g. Trip.com but it will be more expensive than a local sim, and without any Chinese phone number. I never had an issue with connectivity though and it was quite handy moving between China, HK and Macau all with one esim.
For using the apps, Visa and Mastercard will likely require a OTP SMS to your Australian phone number so ensure that you have an Australian Sim with roaming. I was fortunate that my Kogan prepaid esim supported global roaming and international SMS reception otherwise I would have been stuffed. Suncorp couldn't remove the OTP requirement at all and ANZ could only do a max of 4 days because it was a VISA issue, not something apparently within the bank's power to adjust and no other method to receive a OTP besides SMS in Australia (other countries can do in-app or email OTP).
@Maker1: Roaming is not required to receive SMS. I am currently receiving SMS advertisements from Harvey Norman and can get 2fa codes - and this is without me paying this months $25 aldi mobile plan and having roaming turned off…
Like I can't call or SMS without paying but others can contact me. This is how it worked back in the day with landlines and its how it continues to work.
Maybe life and death is an exaggeration but I do think Alipay/Wechat is almost a necessity and saves the hassle of
1. Getting cash
2. Having exact cash
3. Unlocks a lot of services such as meituan and Didi
I would not recommend anyone to go to china without it.
@dsar: Meituan will require a Chinese number (or at least my friend had issued using the e sim/his aus number)
And I recommend everyone order smth/anything with meituan. We got 4 serves of quality and good portioned laoyoufen delivered to our apartment door for $16… Total.
If you get it to work you'll never have to roam the streets for breakfast or pick a place you half like. Just stay in bed, scroll meituan, and within 15-30mins fresh food to your door for literal dollars.
@Some Random Guy: I. Used an Aussie number for my first two meituan accounts but got banned eventually
One banned fast
It said to call them to give my passport. I just made a new account. Using HK number.
Aussie numbers work but sometimes randomly banned
@Some Random Guy: I recommend doing your best to link it via WeChat and Alipay first then getting the sms verification done. My partner has been banned but I have not (my issue though was got getting sms due to Optus being ass and now allowing roaming sms without global roaming pack)
Damn, I was after a smart fridge.
Add your card to AliPay/Wechat Pay beforehand and you will have no issues with payment. Public transport is fine, you will only need your passport when travelling on the high speed rail, however that should be entered in anyway when booking the ticket online.
*public transport is crazy good and crazy cheap. The metros are something of a miracle…
And depending on the city you can actually just tap your visa or mastercard at the gate, don't even need to buy a ticket.
"No issues" - ha. Make sure you can receive SMS. My bank wanted to validate one transaction a day by SMS to keep using AliPay.
I'd say, chances are you'll discover some new and exotic issue - but also that you'll work it out. In the worst case, ATMs work fine.
There are more issues in smaller cities. Also if you aren't international roaming with data you will hit the great firewall - discover the joys of Bing - no Google. WhatsApp tends to work, but subject to fluctuations in the firewall - WhatsApp media tends to be blocked.
Oh f*** me! Bing works through the firewall? Would've loved to know that 2 weeks ago haha!
Also no one can out class me in difficulty with verifying myself in alipay. I have a rooted android running crdroid that is completely degoogled. I am unable to complete video verification as it requires google play services. I tried logging in on my mates phone and that led to my account being locked. I had to call alipay support (was quite the experience finding someone that spoke English) and they sent an email (to my gmail account (which required my mates hotspot)) to verify it was me logging in. Sent through the one lot of verification and waited 12 hours for a manual check.
Once done, I logged in on mates phone, was able to video verify myself, and this happened a couple more times across the next couple days.
No problems since. Its a rocky start but smooths out over time.
And if you're a normal person who has a normal phone this can all be solved in about 5mins compared to my 12 hour charade.
And all VPNs should work, but only use USA locations/servers.
Also smaller cities aren't too bad but you'll find issues with some street vendors wherein aliplay blocks the transaction (but wechat will work fine)
Nah. Just get Alipay and WeChat Pay setup before you leave and you’ll be right. Should be fine with one but always good to have a backup.
You can setup alipay or wechat pay before you trip(add your credit or debit card to the app then get verified).
For mobile phone, you can setup roaming, or you can get data sim at the airport.
In big city like Shanghai, it is very friendly to foreign travelers, use translate app or AI app if you have difficulties.
Suggest Alipay sim it’s cheap for the amount of data
Just dont rent a car if your destinations include major cities, take PT/cabs/didi/day hire with a driver. All pretty cheap by Australian standard.
China doesn't accept overseas licences.. so definitely don't rent a car if you don't have a Chinese licence !
they don't directly accept overseas licenses but it isn't too difficult to get a Chinese one. Might even be able to get it processed in just an hour or two! you do need to prepare a bunch of paperwork, have the license translate and notarised. No driving test involved
https://www.registrationchina.com/articles/get-a-chinese-dri…
https://translayte.com/blog/chinese-drivers-license-for-fore…
Use the chat feature inside Didi to contact your driver. They won't be able to reach you on the Oz mobile number provided during app registration - standardalone or mini app.
It needs a bit of planning, not your rookie destination. We went in 2024 as a test run when these tickets first started to pop up and had a blast. Heading back this year on a dedicated China trip.
I think the language barrier is the hardest part. in 2026, China is not significantly more difficult than Japan. At least if you are going to the major cities + use esim so you can ignore chinese firewall
Translators have gotten much better and with the AI, it's on a conversational level, no grammar issues and been really handy. Big cities no issues, basic English is there to get tickets, food etc. Outside of that, as you said, it's not that different to Japan.
Japan is just used to tourists now so it's adapted, china isn't on everyone's list.
@Oh Boy: google maps is probably the biggest differentiator. Amap is passable but google maps is just so much better
@creamandpaper: 100%, I have been planning because we are covering a few cities, Amaps is now in English (Android at least), so that would be much better than our last experience. Plus Apple Maps work well for train network.
Are you serious? China is way harder to travel. Requirement for VPN, no Google for directions and navigation and restaurants etc.
You’ll need to do some planning and use (waste) a lot of time translating and figuring where to eat.
You can kidnap most Australians, place them into Japan overnight and they’ll be fine. China? No way
@dsar: you don't need vpn, almost everyone roams or uses esim these days. no google but Amap is not bad and sufficient imo. and you don't need to research for each meal, there are restaurants everywhere just pick one that looks good
the average aussie would be fine in China if you give them 2 mins of travel advice. if you have amap, alipay, didi and an esim/roaming - you are sorted. we live in the internet era, anyone under 50 should not have much trouble
barely anyone accepts cards or cash nowadays but so easy once you set up alipay/wechat you can do everything and buy everything on there
Your foreign alipay/wechat won't be able to pay the smallest vendors - these are ones that accept person-to-person payment rather than being registered as a business. Only chinese bank-account linked alipay/wechat accounts work for those payments - no chargebacks - real money.
i've not had any issues with my foreign wechat linked to hsbc card even with street vendors. you just need to pay from balance and not card
I was there a month ago and while our primary payment method was Alipay, we had no issues spending cash as long as you're not trying to buy something for 7 yuan with a 100 yuan note.
Went through 500 AUD worth of RMB cash and only got turned down once, and only because they didn't have change for 100.
Alipay/Wechat is defs the the way to go but "barely anyone accepts cash" is definitely not true.
Definitely setup Alipay and Wechat Pay beforehand. If you don't already have Wechat, setting that up can be a pain so definitely try to do it way in advance. A couple of years ago when I was there I couldn't even setup foreign credit cards with Alipay and Wechat pay, but apparently that's resolved now and shouldn't be an issue. Cash can be strange for a lot of shops and restaurants, but none of the places I went to rejected cash payments, so I still managed to get around without any issues. Again, that was 2024, not sure about now. I do plan to go this year and I'm determined to use Alipay and wechat pay this time. Large retail shops will accept foreign credit cards, you won't even need Alipay. I've used my Latitude/28 degrees card in H&M, Zara, Uniqlo etc, since before covid. Yes, long distance trains you'll need to show your passport to buy the ticket, but it's simple and quick. The public transport infrastructure is amazing, don't really need a car in most circumstances. For others, we just join a tour. I hired a private tour guide for the Great Wall purely because I don't want to be pressured to go to the shops, and that was worth it.
I just came back from two weeks in China. You need these apps installed and configured with payment on your phone before leaving: Didi (mainland China version), Alipay, and WeChat. Get a esim card for Mainland China from Trip.com or let's vpn so you can access Emails, What's app etc. Google map data is not accurate in China, use Amap or apple maps. Use Trip.com for train and excursions bookings or ask hotel staff. And a translation app or use built-in AI.
I'd book the highspeed rail tickets direct via the offical 12306 app. Trip.com charges processing fee, $10 per person I think.
I think $6 per person, Is that in English?
@athuntershill: Haha I booked a sleeper in china and no one could understand my ticket because it was in english lol
They ended up finding a student on the train that spoke English but I went to the wrong number place and some lady started shouting at me haha saying ma fan ma fan - so annoying.
Anyway it was an interesting experience. It seemed to have a number for the chair / seat but then a second number or letter meaning if it's bed 1 2 or 3 or 4.
Maybe don't get the lay down sleeper one haha it's like 4 people on each side different levels. I just wanted to try it once. Very clean tho
Put numbers into the translate app if easier. The train staff had no idea what to do with me haha but I was going to a small city so maybe english is less common
The Chinese people came to my rescue saying that I didn't take her spot on purpose 😂 and she calmed down a bit .
Another funny experience I went to get out of the train station exit and one staff nearly sent me back the wrong way because she thought a foreigner wouldn't be getting out at this small town haha and I must have got off at the wrong one.
People are very helpful but easy to misunderstand each other
I use google translate. Or WeChat translate. You can even take photos of menus or signs
@ealges01: depends on the ticket. some are as low as $2. it can get up to $10 when you are booking $200 long-distance HSR trips
You don't need to install Didi separately - it's inside the Alipay app.
The separate app seems easier to use, and easier to multitask then.
Basically have DIDI in the Amap app too
Seconded for the esim from trip.com
I used one from TravelKon on a recent trip and found that the sim was soft banned by delivery apps (and probably more). My hunch is that it's because it's a HK ISP + roaming vs a Chinese ISP.
Oh that sucks did they give a refund haha I've been using travel kon a few times because I wasn't familiar with others but using the trip.com free 3 GB also worked
@AussieMark: Nah didn’t think it was worth the hassle. It was just for the meituan/ele.me mini apps anyways.
Use the 12306 mini app in alipay. Alipay has an auto translate feature so literally zero reason to pay hopegoo or trip the extra charges/fees. I think you'll need a HK or Chinese number though (maybe?)
Also if you miss your train or don't collect your metro token you'll be auto refunded which is neat.
You need to take your passport everywhere. In Beijing, we were stopped by police for checks just crossing the road near Tiananmen Square (not even anywhere near any entrance). You need it for any bullet train, most tourist attractions, and hotels.
Set up wechat and alipay now, so that you know if you are going to have any problems linking your ID or credit cards. I did this, and still got instantly banned on alipay, and it wouldn't accept any passport scans etc to unblock me, not even sure why they hated me. My friend had similar but with wechat. They unblocked him…. 3 weeks after we had returned home.
You can't use google maps as it is 20 meters off, so you have to use Amaps. Basically wechat and alipay both have all the other apps inside them, such as Didi for transport.
Honestly, I found it quite a difficult and frustrating place to travel as almost nobody knows a single word of English (whereas in SE Asia they will know the key words such as reservation, train, etc etc), so I was buried in my phone with apps and translations the whole time. Even translation apps don't seem to translate properly, it just ends up as gibberish a lot of the time. I went through a huge ordeal at an ice cream shop, where I wanted 2 scoops of something, I think the issue was one flavour was out, but this somehow turned into 2-3 staff trying to use translation apps, not understanding any of my flailing sign language, and pretty much everyone in the shop laughing at us like some sort of zoo exhibit until we finally managed to pay $2 for a damn ice cream after nearly 20 minutes of humiliation.
Also be prepared to be treated like a celebrity with everyone staring at you all day long as they seem to have never seen a white person before, it is fun at first then after a few days you really just want to be left alone. Getting approached by hot girls all day for selfies with them is not bad though, now you will know how rockstars get treated!
At least it is 100% safe and people will help you if they can. There is sometimes the 1 person in a shop or station that deals with foreigners because they know a few words.
Sounds like an absolute nightmare to be honest.
1 of my friends said he needed a month to recover from the stress, 1 of them said it was his best trip ever (history/photography buff), and I was somewhere in the middle. Worth it once so that you understand Chinese a bit more and why they are the way they are based on the environment they are from. It's like.. their rudeness isn't rude as such.. it's just a dog eat dog world where you take any opportunity/space as soon as it exists, or you miss out.
I wouldn't go back just because there are places which are actually fun and stress free.
Also other than Shanghai you will probably never see 1 other foreigner even at places like the Great Wall, so it can be very lonely even though you're getting crushed in festival crowds everywhere you go.
@wetsandwich: that's part of the fun with travel, people who don't deal well with being outside of comfort zone or like trying new things won't have a good time in these places and probably will find a better experience sticking to english speaking countries and booking resorts
@wetsandwich: My experience as well..and I’m ethnically Chinese lol.
Had all the same stress with language + getting banned from random services. I definitely found it harder to travel than Japan, Taiwan etc which we visited in the same trip.
I was very surprised at the lack of English proficiency. Perhaps it was because people didn’t realise we were foreigners/tourists but we also experienced a good amount of staring/annoyance when we struggled with the language or complained about people smoking in our hotels etc (or just in general).
Also surprised by the prevalence of squat toilets..
Something to watch out for, especially if you're an aussie who's never had to think about this, is the air quality fluctuations throughout the year. It tends to get quite bad in the north/north east in winter due to extra heating etc. There are semi frequent spikes up to 150+ AQI, visible greyness and a feeling that you're breathing something in. We went right before Christmas, caught one of these and had to reschedule outdoor activities.
It's no more difficult or different than travelling other countries in SEA. Arguably I would say easier than many of them, actually. But yes, I did need to translate absolutely everything and I was constantly on my phone because every shop and their pet dog has a WeChat Mini app (but they all work well). Only Alipay and WeChat and Didi had native English language support. Many stores had English menus. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the toilet challenges…
Taking your passport everywhere is generally what you should be doing when travelling anyway, as it is the only evidence of your permission to be in the country. I have read that in Japan, police will just arrest you if you leave your passport at the hotel. Try explaining that you can get it for them, they won't care - not their problem.
I never had a problem with people staring at me. I was staring at all of them for sure, no one stared back, and that was in a rural town for domestic tourists. I was never treated poorly by shops or hotels or apartment owners. Never really had translation issues even just using Google Translate although I'm sure something like DeepL would work better as people did give a confused look but I always got the right answer. They were much more willing to pull out their phone for translation than people were in Japan.
@Maker1: I've never been to Japan, but every SE Asian country is nowhere comparable in difficulty…
In Thailand (my favourite by far), you can get anywhere by pointing, saying the name of where you are going, don't really need a passport (they accept a photo but I have never once been checked by police there), and every app just works, and you can pay with your existing mobile added credit card or cash everywhere.You don't need to just know about a random booking app to book something 4 days in advance, you just go to the travel agent in the street and they will sort you out.
I went to Taiwan about 10 years ago and don't remember that being difficult at all either.
Of course I don't expect people to generally speak English in a country so far removed from the west, it was just the overall.. hostility for tourists, is the best way I can describe it. You're a total outsider and they don't care at all if you are there or not, there is just no help other than if by chance a random member of the public can translate.
@wetsandwich: my impression is there is a lot of indifference - people are so used to their ecosystem it's hard for them to fathom people not knowing how to do basic transactions. they aren't particularly helpful bunch but I wouldn't say hostile. I've experienced more hostility in korea (who are louder) and funnily japan - it's harder to tell as culturally they are so polite and passive but you can tell especially smaller towns that there is a lot of anti-tourist sentiment and they don't like serving foreigners - your experience may differ depending on where you were and how you look
Lol at the selfie with hot girls hahah. I just had two cute girls help me at the airport while all these random guys kept trying to get me to come to them in a taxi so I asked the girls.
They were very helpful with broken english and asked to take a selfie together which was cute
depends on where you go. big cities are very used to expats, places like shanghai no one bats an eye if you are 6 foot and caucasian and a lot more people speak english
Yeah we didn't go to Shanghai, but even in Beijing and Xi'an which I thought were both on every tourist list, people would just start videoing us with their phones, laughing/whispering/giggling etc and running up for selfies.
Maybe if I ever do go back I'll go to Shanghai though so it's a bit less stress and isolation.
@wetsandwich: shanghai is more cosmopolitan with a youthful/hip vibe - good around christmas/new years, probably easier for non chinese speaking tourists too it's like japan there are english signs everywhere. and more parties/night life if you are into that kind of thing. beijing xi'an is more for traditional sight seeing and history/museums/great wall etc
@wetsandwich: Beijing and Xi’an attracts enormous amount of domestic tourists as well. People who probably rarely sees a foreigner in their hometown
if you do go, know that whenever passing through security gates at train stations, airports, etc, that you'll need to go through the manned gate. don't line up at the automatic ones.
also, make sure you get a travel sim that gives you access to Google and friends™ on the mainland
So tempting. great prices
Set and forget. Just go. Life too short
Yeah go once, just do a heap of research and don't leave anything like booking trains or tourist attractions until the last minute - they are all booked out on the day..
Great prices when you get there too! I really enjoy being able to visit most restaurants without stressing about the cost…
What dates are you putting to get that price?
Shows on website
City wok may I take your order prease
Damn I typed a long detailed post and got hit with some ozbargain newsletter ad that made everything disappear
Summary
Esim is required as Facebook, WhatsApp and Gmail doesn't work without VPN or an overseas esim
You can buy from travelkon or any website.
Some 5 star hotels have built in VPN especially in Shanghai but maybe just 5-10%.
Didi is the Chinese uber. Very helpful. I can use the didi china version now but I pay everything with Alipay and link to wise or revolut
When you get in a didi they will say the last 4 digits of your phone number. You say shi (yes) or dui (pronounced dway) which means correct
Buy a sim when you land and have a VPN. Comically cheaper then esim providers…
Or maybe have 1GB e sim to order didi at airport. But for long stays get a sim there.
any VPN recommendations for China?
In china one friend uses shadowrocket but it's only for phones or tablets I believe
Let'svpn is another but personally I found expressvpn the best one
Or if you get an esim you don't need one as it's using an overseas network like Hong Kong.
Vpn would be good if you're at the hotel a lot
Use mullvad. Its pricey ( 5 euro a month) but it works and it is great for privacy. Further if you want to connect to Japan or Hong Kong while in China you can (it'll auto route it differently).
In reality, it shouldn't matter too much and just have something and connect to USA. May take a few goes but once it works it'll be good.
Also you may have to turn off vpn when using alipay and that as it thinks someone has hacked in and you have to verify a million times (I even had to call support (problem was fixed within 12 hours) but still a b*tch
astrill, but expensive
I would highly recommend letsVPN or shadow rocket.
LetsVPN for easy set up (I recommend premium so you can choose the location). MullVlad worked but was a lot slower (but it did work!)
Shadowrocket if you want to set up (definitely will use next time) but you may want to consider a travel router with it set up for devices including your laptop.
Best to learn to say your last 4 digits in Chinese as a back up.
Not sure what triggers this, (maybe when Didi outsource the job to another rideshare company) but a couple of times, the driver was waiting for me to tell him the 4 digits and need to input them into his app before starting the ride.
wise or revolut
What is it with people recommending these cards? Do you like to pay jacked up fx rates or fees? A regular Mastercard from an Australian bank with no international transaction fee will cost you less than either of these.
I have no idea why but I’ve found Wise somehow cheaper than No FX debit cards. You can test it now if it have an iPhone and topping up a suica card. Definitely going to retest it another time to triple check because I am shocked.
Hmm are you sure ?
If I pay for the same transaction or buy something online there is normally a 3% markup if I use any Australian bank card
The currency conversion the bank does is where they make their money..so the spread is much worse
That being said HSBC and banks in hk take a much smaller spread when doing currency transfer. Australian banks take a huge margin
Happy to be corrected but I normally just try a similar transaction on multiple cards to see the best one
Almost all banks (HSBC notable exemption) use Mastercard fx rates when you use your card overseas. Then if they don’t charge an international transaction fee that’s it.
You don’t need to buy anything to compare. Just go to the Mastercard fx site and compare with the Revolut rates or the wise rates & fee.
I had a friend try to use wise in thailand and it basically didnt work anywhere / the staff would just get confused and take 10 minutes to try to process it. Then withdrawing money still costs heaps. I am sure people get paid to promote it or something.
Update did a quick test, no FX fee Mastercards are cheaper than wise
99% of drivers say your last 4 phone digits but the one time the driver didn't I just kept saying dui dui (correct correct) haha 😂
Is this last 4 digit of your aus phone number or you have to get china phone number?
Your Aus number
Just bear in mind Shanghai nearly everyone speaks english
Beijing and Shenzhen also more english speakers
Other cities less so..I went to Chengdu which was great but barely anyone spoke English. My friends recommended staying near a university.
The young generation / students speak english
yolo, mainland chinese resident living in syd for the past 14 years, feel free to ping me if you need help doing stuff back at china
Learn the difference between "Ni Sao Wo" vs. "Wo Sao Ni".
Essentially, the shopkeeper scans your QR code for payment or your scan his/her QR code to initiate.
This is always done inside Alipay or WeChat.
Thanks OP, planning to go in March