Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
exploring. Despite the lack of support for Apple computers, iPhones and iPads are, together
with Android devices, accepted by most banks' mobile software.
One service that's highly useful to have activated is a phone SMS alert system, which
works on both standard and smart cell phones. For a minimal fee, you can receive a text
message whenever any kind of transaction occurs into or out of your account. If you can't
access Internet banking, it's a very simple and efficient way to track payments and with-
drawals, and you can set this up over the phone in just a few minutes.
ATMs are everywhere throughout the city, so you'll never be far from one. The Bank of
China, ICBC, and China Merchants Bank are most likely to accept international cards. On
the other hand, if you have a UnionPay card, you can withdraw from virtually any machine
in the city, albeit with a RMB2 fee if the ATM is not from the same bank as your card. Ad-
ditionally, all ATMs have English as an option, so they're easy to use.
ATMs in China still use the old system of spitting your money out before returning your
card, so be careful to not walk off leaving your card behind. It's good to get into the habit
of taking a receipt whenever you make a transaction. This will have the details of the ter-
minal on it, so at least if you do forget your card, you will have the details of the machine
that your card was lost in. If you didn't get the receipt, note down location or branch details
of the ATM and report these when you call the bank's hotline number. The bank is likely
to reissue you with a new card rather than return the old one, which can take up to about a
week to do.
ATMs have a wide range of functions, such as deposits, account transfers, even bill pay-
ments. The specific services offered differ from machine to machine, some with compre-
hensive services, others withdrawals only. Unfortunately, many of the more “residential”
style services, such as bill payments, become available only when you select the Chinese-
language option. Bank staff can usually take you through the steps. ATM bank transfers, a
function available in English mode, make doing things like paying rent to your landlord ex-
tremely quick and easy. You do, however, need to make the transaction at an ATM belong-
ing to your bank, and your accounts must both be with the same bank. If not, you'll need
to go into your landlord's bank and make a deposit at the counter or perhaps use a service
such as Zhifubao or Lakala to transfer the money.
