Question by Calicy: How much money should I bring on vacation to China?
My family and I are going to visit China for three weeks. I would like to buy a few nice things to bring back with me. If any one has already visited, how much US dollars should I bring?
Best answer:
Answer by Puppet
Hi, Do you have a credit card–Master Card or Visa?
When I went to Europe, I brought cash, but not a huge amount. If you want to bring money, go to your bank and they can convert it for you there. Or take traveler’s cheque’s. The best thing for me was to use my credit card every place I could. When you get back to the U.S. and get your statement in the mail, they will have converted all the money into US dollars! Pretty neat, huh?
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
my moms friend says everything down there is alot cheaper but they had a credit card an didnt spend that musch. they saved alot down there. So i would say just take ur credit card, u never know wat u would like to buy or wat u need to get
Ask your bank about doing a cash transfer to bank in whatever province in China you will be traveling to. You should be able to acquire cash from them in the proper currency Best thing would be to use your credit card whenever possible. When you get home you’ll have a statement with all your charges and they have been converted into US$ . Hope this helps.
I was there last year. Because China artificially controls its exchange rate (to keep its exports cheap), the exchange rate is really favorable. You can have a great meal for $ 10 for quite a few people; buy clothing cheaply, and so on. In fact, don’t bring extra luggage … plan to buy a bag if you need one to hold your purchases. I was able to use my credit card at big places, but I found local banks (big ones, like HSBC or Citibank, etc.) to get cash withdrawals using my ATM. Another option is to get a prepaid cash card (http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0,1641,24903,00.asp) from American Express or Visa. You can use them in an ATM. You choose the amount of cash you want to “load” onto them. Like a traveler’s cheque, they’re replaceable if lost and you don’t have to deal with the signature deal etc. I haven’t carried traveller’s cheques in years.
Be prepared to bargain. Do it with a smile. Here are some sites with tips: http://www.thebeijingguide.com/shopping/bargaining.html; http://www.talesmag.com/tales/road/bargaining_in_beijing.shtml and http://gochina.about.com/od/shopping/p/Bargaining101.htm. Definitely learn how to say “I don’t want any” in Mandarin and walk way from aggressive vendors. Don’t be surprised if in some of the markets aggressive vendors reach out to grab your arm to try and get your attention. Only stop if you are really interested … no such thing as “browsing”.
Have fun!