Do buses in China accept card payments?

As a foreigner, I found China’s system frustrating at first. Everyone in Guangzhou was scanning phones with WeChat Pay, but my foreign card wouldn’t link easily. Ended up queuing at kiosks for a metro card and topping up with cash from a China Construction Bank ATM. In smaller cities, bus drivers demanded coins and glared when I offered a 20 RMB note. It works once you figure it out, but compared to how slick it is for locals, tourists feel left behind.

I loved how seamless the transport felt in Beijing. Picked up a Yikatong card at Dongzhimen station, topped up with RMB from an ICBC ATM, and tapped in everywhere. The metro is cheap and efficient, and buses accepted the same card. I eventually linked my Mastercard to Alipay at the hostel in Chaoyang, which made paying even easier. For me, China’s public transport was one of the most modern and convenient I’ve used - just don’t rely on cash for big cities.

I stayed at a hostel near People’s Square in Shanghai and used the metro daily. Bought a Jiaotong card at the station, loaded it with cash from a Bank of China ATM nearby, and it worked smoothly for both metro and buses. Locals all scanned their phones with Alipay or WeChat, which tourists can set up now by linking foreign cards. In smaller towns outside Hangzhou, I found buses still taking cash - had to hand over exact coins to the driver, no change offered.

In China’s major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, buses and metros are overwhelmingly cashless now. Locals use Alipay, WeChat Pay, or transport apps. Foreign cards don’t work directly, but you can link Visa/Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay after verification. Metro stations sell rechargeable transit cards (Beijing Yikatong, Shanghai Jiaotong), which you buy with cash or sometimes card at kiosks. ATMs from ICBC, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank are everywhere for withdrawing RMB. Carrying small cash helps in rural areas, but cities are app-first.