Cash on day one
In short
Yes, at machines carrying your card's mark. Bank of China publishes a single-transaction limit of 3,000 yuan for foreign cards inside China; daily and annual caps come from the bank that issued your card, and so does the fee. ATMs that accept international cards sit at the port of entry, next to the currency exchange counters. If the machine keeps your card, call 95566.
Set up a wallet as wellApplies to
Anyone landing in mainland China with a Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB or American Express card and no renminbi in their pocket.
Check before you rely on it
Only Bank of China publishes a per-transaction ceiling in English. We could not open an equivalent page from ICBC, ABC, CCB or BOCOM, so 3,000 yuan is confirmed for one bank's machines, not for every machine in China.
Review date: 2026-07-25
The cash question decides your first hour more than the wallet question does. A wallet can fail at a counter. A 100-yuan note cannot.
Landing to cash in hand
The number that matters
Two published facts settle most of what people argue about online.
Bank of China states a single-transaction limit of 3,000 yuan for ATM cash withdrawals using foreign cards within China, and adds that daily and annual cumulative limits are determined by the issuing bank. The same page says the fees for cash withdrawals and inquiries are also determined by the overseas issuing bank. So the number to check before you fly is on your own bank's website, not a Chinese one.
Its ATMs run around the clock for withdrawals and balance inquiries on UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards issued outside China.
Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25)
At the machine
Five situations, and what the published rules say to do in each.
| Situation | Do this | Why, and who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Your card's logo is not on the machine | Find another machine rather than trying the card | The government payment guide states that RMB cash can be withdrawn with bank cards at ATMs carrying the logos of the corresponding bank card organizations. Source: The State Council of the People's Republic of China (English portal) — Payment service guide for overseas visitors to China (page dated 2024-04-11; read 2026-07-25) |
| You need more than 3,000 yuan | Make a second withdrawal instead of raising the amount | Bank of China publishes a single-transaction limit of 3,000 yuan for ATM cash withdrawals with a foreign card inside China. Daily and annual caps come from your own bank. Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25) |
| You have landed and have no renminbi at all | Use the arrivals-hall machine, or the exchange counter beside it | The central bank's visitor guide states that RMB can be withdrawn from ATMs accepting international cards at the port of entry, where other currencies can also be exchanged through exchange service providers or self-service machines. Source: People's Bank of China / Payment & Clearing Association of China — Guide to Payment Services in China (English edition, PDF) (page dated 2024-05-25; read 2026-07-25) |
| The machine swallows the card | Ask the airport service counter, or call 95566 | Bank of China's ATM page tells cardholders whose card is retained to contact branch staff or the 95566 customer service line. Beijing publishes 24-hour service counters across from the international arrivals exit at both its airports. Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25) |
| You are charged more than you expected | Take it up with your own bank, not the Chinese one | Bank of China states that the services available to a foreign card, and the fees for cash withdrawals and inquiries, are determined by the overseas issuing bank. Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25) |
The published facts
Each line links the official source and the day we read it. Sources read 2026-07-25.
Bank of China publishes a single-transaction limit of 3,000 yuan for ATM cash withdrawals using foreign cards within China. Other limits, including daily and annual cumulative limits, are determined by the bank that issued your card.
Page dated 5 January 2026
Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25)
Bank of China ATMs give round-the-clock withdrawals and balance inquiries to major international bank cards issued outside China, naming UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express.
Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25)
The services available to a given card, and the fees for cash withdrawals and inquiries, are determined by the overseas issuing bank. The Chinese bank publishes no fee of its own on this page.
Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25)
Bank of China's instruction is to contact the branch staff or call the customer service hotline on 95566. The same number is listed as the banking service line on Beijing's published hotline list.
Source: Bank of China — ATM (Service Channels) (page dated 2026-01-05; read 2026-07-25)
The central bank's visitor guide states that RMB cash can be withdrawn from ATMs that accept international bank cards at the port of entry, and that the same methods work downtown. The card marks printed beside that paragraph are UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Discover.
Printed page 15, Cash
Source: People's Bank of China / Payment & Clearing Association of China — Guide to Payment Services in China (English edition, PDF) (page dated 2024-05-25; read 2026-07-25)
The State Council's payment guide for overseas visitors states that RMB cash can be withdrawn with bank cards at ATMs carrying the logos of the corresponding bank card organizations. That is the whole test for whether a given machine will work.
Page dated 11 April 2024
Source: The State Council of the People's Republic of China (English portal) — Payment service guide for overseas visitors to China (page dated 2024-04-11; read 2026-07-25)
The Beijing Service counters sit across from the international arrivals exit at Capital and Daxing airports and run 24/7. Cash withdrawals from ATMs and currency exchange are two of the five services listed as available at any hour.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Beijing Service — One-stop City Service at Airports (read 2026-07-25)
A circular issued jointly by several government bodies including the central bank stipulates that domestic and overseas bank cards should be accepted in all three-star and above tourist hotels, 5A and 4A national tourist attractions, national and provincial tourist resorts, and national tourism and leisure districts.
Source: The State Council of the People's Republic of China (English portal) — Payment service guide for overseas visitors to China (page dated 2024-04-11; read 2026-07-25)
Before you leave the terminal
Both the central bank and Beijing put this in the arrivals hall, not in town.
The central bank's visitor guide states that RMB cash can be withdrawn from ATMs that accept international bank cards at the port of entry, and that the same methods are available downtown. Beijing goes further and staffs it: the Beijing Service counters sit across from the international arrivals exit at Capital and Daxing airports and run 24/7, with cash withdrawals from ATMs and currency exchange among the five services listed as available at any hour.
Source: People's Bank of China / Payment & Clearing Association of China — Guide to Payment Services in China (English edition, PDF) (page dated 2024-05-25; read 2026-07-25)
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Beijing Service — One-stop City Service at Airports (read 2026-07-25)
In short
The limit, the fee, the location, and the two failure states.
Yes, where the machine carries your card's mark. Bank of China states that its ATMs support withdrawals and balance inquiries around the clock for UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards issued outside China, and the State Council's payment guide states the general rule that cash comes out at ATMs carrying the logos of the corresponding card organizations.
Bank of China publishes 3,000 yuan as the single-transaction limit for a foreign card inside China. If you need more, make a second withdrawal. Your daily and annual totals are set by your own bank, not by the machine.
Bank of China states that the fees for cash withdrawals and inquiries are determined by the overseas issuing bank. That means the number you should check before you fly is your own bank's foreign cash withdrawal fee. No page we could open publishes a machine-side surcharge, so we do not quote one.
The central bank's visitor guide puts ATMs that accept international cards at the port of entry, alongside exchange service providers and self-service exchange machines. Beijing publishes 24-hour service counters across from the international arrivals exit at both its airports, listing cash withdrawal from ATMs and currency exchange among the services.
Bank of China's own instruction is to contact branch staff or call 95566. Do not leave the machine unattended while you do it. At an airport, the staffed service counter is the fastest route to a person who can call the bank with you.
No source we opened publishes a rule on machine-side conversion. What is published is the principle behind it: Weixin Pay states that the exchange rate on an international card comes from the card organisation and the issuing bank. A conversion performed at the machine replaces that rate with the machine operator's own, so the safe default is to be billed in renminbi and let your bank convert.
Carry some. The central bank prints the cash chapter in the same booklet as the wallet chapters, and the State Council's guide describes an active push to widen cash acceptance in transport, shopping, dining and entertainment. Cash is the route that does not depend on a phone, a signal or a card being accepted.
Not published
Machine surcharges and daily caps are the two figures everyone quotes and nobody sources. They are left open here.
Bank of China's ATM page read 2026-07-25; the central bank's visitor guide read 2026-07-25.
The exchange counters, the airport machines, and the slip you have to keep to change it back.
Open exchange guideThe RMB 20,000 and US$5,000 declaration thresholds, and the two-form trick for taking your own cash out again.
Open pageWallet setup, the card networks each app takes, and the failure states that stop a payment.
Open pageNext move
Read enough to make the decision smaller, then open the checklist, search a specific question, choose a setup tool, or share the page with the person planning with you.
Use the checklist when the question has shifted from research to preparation.
Search by the actual problem: Alipay, eSIM, transit visa, first transfer, vegetarian food, or a city name.
Open recommendations when the task is clear enough for a short list to be useful.