Do I still need cash in China, and how do I get it?

Cash is a backup, not the plan. With a foreign card in Alipay or WeChat Pay you will pay almost everything by QR. Where cash still matters: when your wallet app declines and you have no second card; tiny stalls and older vendors who only show a personal collection QR (which foreign cards can't pay); temple donations, some public toilets, coin lockers, and rural areas. Keep ¥300–500, mostly in ¥10 and ¥20 notes.

Refusing renminbi cash was already prohibited under the PBoC's 2020 announcement. The PBoC, NDRC and NFRA refined the rule in《人民币现金收付及服务规定》, effective 1 February 2026. A business that can take cash in person may not refuse it, induce others to refuse it or discriminate against cash payers. Exceptions apply where the law requires non-cash payment; online orders are handled differently. You can complain afterwards to the local PBoC branch, and the PBoC publishes penalty lists quarterly. That may get you a remedy, but it won't speed up the checkout you are standing in.

To withdraw yuan, look for an ATM with your card network's logo. Official guides name Visa and Mastercard, but machines accept different networks. Travellers most often recommend Bank of China, ICBC and China Construction Bank. Check the machine fee, your own bank's fee and the withdrawal limit on screen; these vary by bank and card. ATMs dispense ¥100 notes. In Shenzhen, overseas visitor service centres at Bao'an Airport T3 (open 24/7) and Shenzhen Bay Port can direct you to foreign-card withdrawals and currency exchange, according to the city's culture and tourism bureau.

Break the notes early. ¥100 is the largest note and stalls routinely cannot change it. Convenience stores (FamilyMart, Lawson, 7-Eleven), metro ticket machines and supermarket tills will.

Exchange counters, hotels and kiosks showing “EXCHANGE 货币兑换” change foreign currency. Changing unused yuan back at departure: up to the equivalent of US$500 a day on your passport alone; above that you need the original exchange receipt (valid 24 months). Currencies and exact rules depend on the bank or counter.

Shops with a POS terminal generally accept UnionPay. Visa and Mastercard work where their logos are shown, such as hotels, malls, larger shops and station ticket offices. You cannot count on a foreign chip-and-PIN card at markets or small restaurants.