UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Revolut. Compare fees, insurance, services and find the ideal card for China.
This comparison examines 12 cards in China, among them UnionPay Classic, UnionPay Gold, Visa Classic, MC Standard, across the UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Revolut networks. Three things genuinely separate one card from another, and the annual fee is only the first: next come the bundled insurances, trip cancellation, medical cover abroad, baggage, purchase protection, whose value often exceeds the fee as soon as you travel, and foreign exchange charges, which quietly cost 2 to 3 per cent of every purchase in another currency with traditional issuers and nothing at all with the neobanks. Payment and withdrawal limits matter too, and they are negotiable. The table compares them line by line, without an overall score: the right card for a frequent traveller is not the right card for someone who rarely leaves home. Anyone going abroad twice a year usually saves more with a no-foreign-fee card than a premium card's insurance ever returns in claims.
Select 2 to 4 cards to compare side by side.
UnionPay
Visa
Mastercard
Amex
Revolut
| Criteria | UnionPay Platinum Premium | Amex Gold Premium | Revolut Standard Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | ~800 ¥/an | ~1 600 ¥/an | Gratuit |
Payment limit/day | 300 000 ¥/jour | Variable (pas de plafond fixe) | Illimité |
Withdrawal limit/day | 50 000 ¥/jour | 5 000 ¥/jour | ~1 500 ¥/mois gratuit |
Travel Medical | 500 000 ¥ max | 1 000 000 ¥ max | Non incluse |
Trip Cancellation | 30 000 ¥/pers. | 40 000 ¥/pers. | Non incluse |
Baggage | 5 000 ¥ par bagage | 8 000 ¥ par bagage | Non incluse |
Purchase Protection | Protection 90j | Purchase Protection 90j | Non incluse |
Car Rental | Selon banque émettrice | CDW incluse | Non incluse |
Concierge | Service limité | Service limité | Non disponible |
Lounge Access | CUP lounges aéroports chinois | Non inclus | Non inclus |
Cashback | Points Platinum (~0,5 %) | Membership Rewards (1pt/¥) | Non disponible |
Acceptance in China | Excellente (Chine + 180 pays) | Faible (très peu de commerçants en Chine) | Limitée (QR code, hôtels internat.) |
Overview of all cards. Scroll horizontally on mobile.
| Criteria | UnionPay Classic Standard | UnionPay Gold Standard | Visa Classic Standard | MC Standard Standard | UnionPay Platinum Premium | UnionPay Diamond Premium+ | Amex Gold Premium | Revolut Standard Standard | Revolut Premium Premium | Amex Platinum Premium+ | Revolut Metal Premium+ | Revolut Ultra Premium+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | ~0 ¥/an | ~200 ¥/an | ~100 ¥/an | ~100 ¥/an | ~800 ¥/an | ~3 600 ¥/an | ~1 600 ¥/an | Gratuit | ~700 ¥/an | ~3 600 ¥/an | ~1 200 ¥/an | ~3 900 ¥/an |
Payment limit/day | 50 000 ¥/jour | 100 000 ¥/jour | 50 000 ¥/jour | 50 000 ¥/jour | 300 000 ¥/jour | Illimité | Variable (pas de plafond fixe) | Illimité | Illimité | Variable (pas de plafond fixe) | Illimité | Illimité |
Withdrawal limit/day | 20 000 ¥/jour | 30 000 ¥/jour | 10 000 ¥/jour | 10 000 ¥/jour | 50 000 ¥/jour | 100 000 ¥/jour | 5 000 ¥/jour | ~1 500 ¥/mois gratuit | ~3 000 ¥/mois gratuit | 10 000 ¥/jour | ~6 000 ¥/mois gratuit | ~15 000 ¥/mois gratuit |
Travel Medical | Non incluse | 50 000 ¥ max | 80 000 ¥ max | 80 000 ¥ max | 500 000 ¥ max | 2 000 000 ¥ max | 1 000 000 ¥ max | Non incluse | 70 000 ¥ max | 3 000 000 ¥ max | 200 000 ¥ max | 700 000 ¥ max |
Trip Cancellation | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | 30 000 ¥/pers. | 80 000 ¥/pers. | 40 000 ¥/pers. | Non incluse | 7 000 ¥/voyage | 80 000 ¥/pers. | 35 000 ¥/voyage | 70 000 ¥/voyage |
Baggage | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | 5 000 ¥ par bagage | 10 000 ¥ par bagage | 8 000 ¥ par bagage | Non incluse | Retard bagage 1 500 ¥ | 15 000 ¥ par bagage | Retard bagage 3 500 ¥ | Retard bagage 7 000 ¥ |
Purchase Protection | Non incluse | Protection limitée 60j | Non incluse | Non incluse | Protection 90j | Protection étendue 180j | Purchase Protection 90j | Non incluse | Protection limitée | Purchase Protection 120j | Protection limitée | Protection étendue |
Car Rental | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Selon banque émettrice | CDW incluse monde entier | CDW incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | CDW + vol véhicule | Selon pays | Incluse |
Concierge | Non disponible | Non disponible | Non disponible | Non disponible | Service limité | Conciergerie Diamond 24h/24 | Service limité | Non disponible | Non disponible | Conciergerie Platinum 24h/24 | Conciergerie prioritaire | Conciergerie dédiée 24h/24 |
Lounge Access | Non inclus | Non inclus | Non inclus | Non inclus | CUP lounges aéroports chinois | 1 000+ lounges (Dragon Pass) | Non inclus | Non inclus | Non inclus | 1 400+ lounges (Priority Pass) | 1 accès/mois (LoungeKey) | 4 accès/mois (LoungeKey) |
Cashback | Non disponible | Points UnionPay (~0,3 %) | Non disponible | Non disponible | Points Platinum (~0,5 %) | Points Diamond (1 %+) | Membership Rewards (1pt/¥) | Non disponible | Cashback 0,1 % | MR (1 à 5 pts/¥ selon enseigne) | Cashback 0,1 % CN / 1 % hors CN | Cashback 1 % CN / 1 % hors CN |
Acceptance in China | Excellente (Chine continentale) | Excellente (Chine + Asie) | Limitée (hôtels internat., grandes enseignes) | Limitée (hôtels internat., grandes enseignes) | Excellente (Chine + 180 pays) | Excellente (Chine + 180 pays) | Faible (très peu de commerçants en Chine) | Limitée (QR code, hôtels internat.) | Limitée (QR code, hôtels internat.) | Faible (très peu de commerçants en Chine) | Limitée (QR code, hôtels internat.) | Limitée (QR code, hôtels internat.) |
Explore the details of each type of coverage and service.
| Card | Travel Medical | Trip Cancellation | Baggage | Car Rental |
|---|---|---|---|---|
UnionPay Classic | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse |
UnionPay Gold | 50 000 ¥ max | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse |
Visa Classic | 80 000 ¥ max | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse |
MC Standard | 80 000 ¥ max | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse |
UnionPay Platinum | 500 000 ¥ max | 30 000 ¥/pers. | 5 000 ¥ par bagage | Selon banque émettrice |
UnionPay Diamond | 2 000 000 ¥ max | 80 000 ¥/pers. | 10 000 ¥ par bagage | CDW incluse monde entier |
Amex Gold | 1 000 000 ¥ max | 40 000 ¥/pers. | 8 000 ¥ par bagage | CDW incluse |
Revolut Standard | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse | Non incluse |
Revolut Premium | 70 000 ¥ max | 7 000 ¥/voyage | Retard bagage 1 500 ¥ | Non incluse |
Amex Platinum | 3 000 000 ¥ max | 80 000 ¥/pers. | 15 000 ¥ par bagage | CDW + vol véhicule |
Revolut Metal | 200 000 ¥ max | 35 000 ¥/voyage | Retard bagage 3 500 ¥ | Selon pays |
Revolut Ultra | 700 000 ¥ max | 70 000 ¥/voyage | Retard bagage 7 000 ¥ | Incluse |
* Limits are indicative and vary by issuing bank in China. UnionPay offers insurance through major Chinese banks.
Our recommendations based on your usage profile in China.
You live in China and pay primarily via WeChat Pay / Alipay linked to a UnionPay card.
UnionPay Platinum: accepted everywhere in China, cashback points, Chinese airport lounge access, travel insurance. Low foreign fees (~1.5%).
You travel frequently outside China and need strong insurance and airport lounge access.
UnionPay Diamond: 1,000+ lounges (Dragon Pass), 2M CNY medical insurance, 24/7 concierge, only 0.5% foreign fees. Amex Platinum for global Priority Pass.
You are an expat in China and need to manage two currencies (CNY + home currency) without excessive fees.
Revolut Metal: 0% currency exchange fees (interbank rate), metal card, 6,000 CNY/mo free ATM, concierge. Ideal for CNY/EUR/USD conversion without fees.
You are looking for a free or cheap card for daily use in China.
UnionPay Classic: free, accepted everywhere in China, compatible with WeChat Pay / Alipay. Revolut Standard as complement for 0% international transfers.
UnionPay is the only card network historically authorized in China. Founded in 2002 under the People's Bank of China, it processes over 90% of card transactions in China and is accepted in 180+ countries. Visa and Mastercard have very limited access to the domestic Chinese market.
WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate mobile payments in China with over 90% of in-store transactions. Physical cards are less commonly used daily. However, these digital wallets are linked to a UnionPay bank card. The card remains essential as a funding source.
A dual-currency card combines UnionPay (for CNY payments in China) with Visa or Mastercard (for foreign currency payments). It is the ideal solution for Chinese residents who travel regularly. Major banks (ICBC, CMB, BOC) offer these cards. The two networks share one account, so the card is billed in yuan at home and in the local currency abroad, which avoids the double conversion charged on a single-network card.
Visa and Mastercard acceptance is very limited in mainland China. They mainly work at international hotels, major foreign chains, and some duty-free shops. For daily use, a UnionPay card or mobile payment (WeChat Pay / Alipay) is essential. Outside those places you will need mobile payment or a UnionPay card, so visitors are advised to link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before arriving.
A foreigner can open an account at a Chinese bank (ICBC, BOC, CMB, CCB) with a valid passport and residence permit or work visa. Some banks accept tourist visas for basic accounts. The process is done in-branch and takes about 1 hour.
e-CNY is the digital currency of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), in pilot phase across several cities. It works via a dedicated app, even offline. In the long term, it may further reduce physical card usage but will coexist with WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay.
Since 2023-2024, WeChat Pay and Alipay have opened access to foreign tourists by allowing linking of international Visa, Mastercard or Amex cards. The process is now simplified with passport verification. It is strongly recommended for traveling in China. Transaction limits remain low for a foreign card, however, and a commission usually applies above a small amount, so opening a local account is preferable for a long stay.
ATMs in China have a standard limit of 20,000 CNY/day for domestic UnionPay cards. For foreign cards, the limit is often 10,000 CNY/transaction (equivalent). The annual limit for foreign cards is 100,000 CNY. Withdrawals with a foreign card also incur a fee charged by the local ATM operator on top of your own bank's charge, so fewer and larger withdrawals work out cheaper.
The Chinese bank card market is the world's largest by number of cards in circulation, with over 9 billion cards issued. UnionPay, the national payment network, holds over 90% of the domestic market and has become the world's largest network by transaction volume. However, physical cards are increasingly being replaced by mobile payments: WeChat Pay (Tenpay) and Alipay (from Ant Financial) dominate daily transactions with over 1.5 billion combined users. The five major state-owned banks – ICBC, CCB, ABC, Bank of China, and BoCom – issue the majority of cards.
China has made a technological leap by moving directly from cash to mobile payments, largely bypassing the credit card stage. WeChat Pay and Alipay allow QR code scanning for payments at virtually all merchants, from large shopping malls to street vendors. Digital banks like WeBank (backed by Tencent) and MYbank (backed by Alibaba) serve hundreds of millions of customers through micro-loans and mobile savings accounts. The PBOC (People's Bank of China) has launched the digital yuan (e-CNY) being tested in several major cities.
Chinese cards are divided into 借记卡 (jièjì kǎ, UnionPay debit card) and 信用卡 (xìnyòng kǎ, credit card). UnionPay debit cards are essential for ATM withdrawals and are linked to WeChat Pay and Alipay wallets. Premium credit cards (UnionPay Diamond, Visa Infinite) offer CIP (China International Payment) lounge access and discounts at upscale hotels and restaurants. Co-branded cards (JD.com, Ctrip, Meituan) offer targeted rewards on e-commerce platforms. For foreigners, Visa and Mastercard are accepted at major international hotels and shopping centers but rarely at local shops.
UnionPay debit cards are generally free (annual fees of CNY 10 often waived). Credit cards have annual fees of CNY 0-3,600 depending on tier, often waivable with minimum transactions. Revolving interest rates range from 14-18% per year. ATM withdrawal fees are free at own-bank machines but CNY 2-4 at third-party ATMs (limited to CNY 100,000/day). The PBOC oversees the entire financial system. China's deposit insurance system protects up to CNY 500,000 per depositor per bank. The social credit system may influence access to financial services.
For a China resident, a UnionPay debit card linked to WeChat Pay and Alipay is essential for daily life. ICBC or CCB accounts offer the most extensive ATM network. For expats, opening an account at a major state-owned bank with a UnionPay card is the first step to accessing mobile payments. Foreign travelers can now use Alipay and WeChat Pay with foreign Visa/Mastercard cards (feature launched in 2024). For international purchases, a Visa or Mastercard from a Chinese bank remains useful as UnionPay, though accepted in 180 countries, is less widespread outside Asia.
* Rates shown are as of 2025 and may vary. This comparison is for informational purposes only. Supervised by PBOC. Deposits protected up to CNY 500,000.