My card was taken by an ATM near my hotel in China. Has this happened to anyone else? Solution?
My Wise Mastercard was taken at an ICBC ATM in Beijing when the machine froze mid-transaction. I called the hotline on the ATM, and they told me to visit the branch the next morning. With my passport, they released it quickly, but they warned me that if I hadn’t come in time, it would’ve been destroyed. I was glad I was at a large branch; in smaller towns, this might not have been possible. I always travel China with at least two cards now.
China can be difficult if your card gets taken outside major cities. My Revolut Visa was eaten by an Agricultural Bank ATM in Xi’an, and the local branch said foreign cards are usually returned to the issuing bank, not released directly. Since I was only visiting for a few days, I never got it back and had to cancel it. English support is also limited outside Beijing and Shanghai. Best advice: always carry a backup card and some cash in USD or EUR just in case.
I had my HSBC debit swallowed by a Bank of China ATM in Shanghai. I went into the branch right away, and after presenting my passport, they retrieved it for me within an hour. Staff spoke some English and were very efficient. The limit on those ATMs was CNY 3,000 per transaction, so I probably triggered a security flag trying to take out multiple times. My advice: use major banks like Bank of China or ICBC, and stick to branch ATMs where staff can help immediately.
Yes, it happened in Beijing near Wangfujing at a Bank of China ATM. The machine froze mid-transaction and kept my card. I went to the branch next morning, showed my passport, and they confirmed it would be destroyed for “security reasons.” In China, once a card is swallowed, banks usually don’t return it. The safest option is to cancel and reorder through your home bank. Always carry backup cards, because the big banks like ICBC and China Construction Bank have strict policies.