Living in China
How to Withdraw Cash in China as a Foreigner (2026 ATM Limits)
By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
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Quick answer
You can withdraw RMB with a foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express or UnionPay card at most Chinese bank ATMs - Bank of China states that its machines support all five. The machine will not hand over unlimited cash: Bank of China publishes a single-transaction limit of RMB 3,000 for foreign cards, and daily or annual limits come from your own issuing bank, as do the fees. If you need more than that in a day, expect to make two or three withdrawals. Cash is the legal fallback in China - national policy keeps it in place, businesses are pushed to keep accepting it, and refusing RMB cash is actively penalised - but you will use less of it than you expect, because QR payments now work with foreign cards too. For larger amounts, change money at a bank counter with your passport, or use the currency exchange desks that policy requires airports and foreign-heavy hotels to expand.
Can you even use an ATM in China?
Yes, and it is an official priority rather than a side effect. The State Council's payment policy (document 国办发〔2024〕10号) requires banks to keep upgrading ATMs so that elderly users and foreign visitors can withdraw RMB with domestic and foreign bank cards, and tells banks not to quietly shut cash services at branches.
In practice, the machines that matter are the ones attached to the big state banks. Bank of China states on its own English service page that its ATMs support withdrawals and balance enquiries with major international cards issued outside China - UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express - around the clock. Coverage is dense in cities: bank branches, airports, rail stations, convenience stores and shopping centres all have machines.
How much you can actually take out
This is the detail that catches people out at 11pm outside a metro station. The bank whose ATM you are standing at sets the per-transaction ceiling, and your own bank sets everything above it.
Bank of China publishes the clearest number of any Chinese bank: the single transaction limit for ATM cash withdrawals using foreign cards inside China is RMB 3,000. Other banks set their own per-transaction limits, so treat a few thousand RMB as the practical ceiling per attempt.
| Limit | Who sets it | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Per transaction | The Chinese bank that owns the ATM | RMB 3,000 at Bank of China. Asking for more gets the request declined rather than split. |
| Per day and per year | Your own bank, in your home country | This is usually the limit that stops you, not the Chinese machine. |
| Fees | Your own bank, plus any conversion spread | A foreign-transaction fee plus an ATM fee is normal. The screen shows the amount before you confirm. |
What the withdrawal costs
Bank of China's own wording is that the services available and the fees for cash withdrawals and balance enquiries are determined by the overseas issuing bank. So the honest answer to what a withdrawal costs is: whatever your own bank charges, plus anything the terminal adds.
One rule saves money in every country, China included: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline it and withdraw in RMB. That conversion is done at a rate you cannot check, and it is almost always worse than letting your own bank convert.
When the machine refuses you
Most refusals are one of five things, and four of them are fixable on the spot.
1. You asked for more than the per-transaction cap. Try RMB 1,000 or 2,000 instead and repeat. 2. Your bank has not been told you are travelling and has blocked foreign use. Fix it in your banking app. 3. The card is a debit card with a low daily limit, or a credit card treated as a cash advance with a separate cap. 4. The machine is out of cash or out of service - common late at night, so use the machine at a staffed branch. 5. The ATM keeps the card. Bank of China's own instruction for that case is to speak to branch staff or call 95566.
Cash is still legal, and merchants are told to keep taking it
QR payments are everywhere, but national policy treats cash as the fallback that must keep working. The same 2024 policy document tells businesses - especially in transport, shopping, dining, entertainment, tourism and accommodation - to commit publicly to accepting cash and to keep small change on hand, and it orders continued enforcement against businesses that refuse RMB cash, with penalties publicised.
What that means in daily life: a shop cannot lawfully refuse your banknote, but small vendors may genuinely not have change for a RMB 100 note. Break big notes at convenience stores and supermarkets, and keep a few RMB 10 and 20 notes for street food and taxis.
Where to get cash when the ATM will not cooperate
Four options, in the order most travellers end up using them:
| Where | Best for | What you need | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank ATM | Small amounts, any hour | Your card and PIN | Per-transaction cap of a few thousand RMB, and your bank's own daily cap |
| Bank counter | Larger amounts, exchange | Passport | Opening hours only; queues at lunchtime |
| Airport or hotel exchange desk | First cash after landing | Passport and a foreign banknote | Worse rate than a bank; policy requires airports and busy hotels to expand these counters, not to make them cheap |
| Mobile payment with a foreign card | Everything you would use cash for | Alipay or WeChat Pay, verified passport, linked card | 3% fee above RMB 200 per transaction on an international card |
How much cash should you actually carry?
Less than you think, but not zero. Once Alipay or WeChat Pay is working with your foreign card, almost every transaction - including street stalls, metro machines and taxis - can be done by QR. The exceptions are the places that are offline, out of signal, or run by someone who does not want to pay transaction fees.
A practical split for a first trip: keep a few hundred RMB in cash for the first day, and treat the ATM as a top-up you do once or twice a week rather than a daily errand.
Common questions
Do Chinese ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard?
Yes. Bank of China states that its ATMs support withdrawals and balance enquiries with UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards issued outside China.
How much can I withdraw in one go?
Bank of China publishes a single transaction limit of RMB 3,000 for foreign cards. Other Chinese banks set their own per-transaction limits, and your home bank sets the daily and annual ones.
Why was my request for RMB 5,000 refused?
Because it is above the ATM's per-transaction ceiling. Ask for a smaller amount, such as RMB 2,000, and repeat the withdrawal - the machine will not split a large request for you.
Can a shop refuse my cash?
It should not. The 2024 payment policy keeps cash as the fallback and calls for continued enforcement against businesses that refuse RMB cash. The practical limitation is change, not the rule - small vendors may not have any.
Do I need my passport to withdraw money?
Not at an ATM. You do need it for currency exchange or a withdrawal at a bank counter, because the teller has to record the transaction.
Is cash cheaper than paying by phone?
Cash avoids the 3% international-card fee that applies to mobile payments above RMB 200 per transaction, but it costs whatever your own bank charges for a foreign ATM withdrawal. For small daily spending the difference is small.
Read next
- How to Use Alipay in China as a Foreigner (2026 Setup & Fees)
- How to Get a SIM Card in China as a Foreigner (2026 Guide)
Sources
- 国务院办公厅《关于进一步优化支付服务 提升支付便利性的意见》(国办发〔2024〕10号, issued 7 March 2024), State Council policy library (中国政府网) - requires continued ATM upgrades so that domestic and foreign bank cards can withdraw RMB cash; keeps cash as the fallback with businesses pushed to accept it and to hold change; orders continued enforcement with publicised penalties against refusing RMB cash; requires currency exchange facilities to be expanded at airports and at hotels hosting many foreign guests.
- Bank of China official English ATM service page, checked 16 September 2026 - ATMs provide round-the-clock withdrawals and balance enquiries with UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express cards issued outside China; the single transaction limit for foreign-card ATM cash withdrawals inside China is RMB 3,000; other limits and the withdrawal fees are set by the overseas issuing bank; contact branch staff or call 95566 if the ATM retains the card.
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