On the traveling, I don’t really want to bring a lot of cash with, hard to keep and not safe at all so mostly I relied on the visa card.
This is my second time exploring China mainland. I knew China has banned all the social medias like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, google, Gmail and some other apps from western countries. It’s meant China allows only their own apps. China uses WeChat to connect to their people and pay bills. While in China I was disconnected from my people in Cambodia, only one app I can use is WeChat. I have been traveling a week in China from Macau-Hongkong-Shenzhen-ZhaoQing-YangShuo Wuzhou-Guangzhou. I exchanged some money in RMB and HK dollars for meals and small pays because I wished to pay accommodations and big bills with my visa card. Arriving to Macau-HK I have paid all bills with cash, next following days I moved to Zhaoqing. I spent time there for two days I paid the bill via my visa card it has worked well for the first time.
In the evening, I went for dinner I didn’t have any cash I supposed to pay them with the visa card, but it didn’t work they said here is the small restaurant we accepted only the local bank cards. Then, I went to the ATM which has the Visa logo, at the time I tried with ICBC and HSBC bank but it didn’t work for both banks, and it said my visa card was cancelled for some reasons. Oh, damn shit, what should I do here?
The reason may be my saving account is USD and here China has only RMB. Before coming to China, I really knew that Facebook, Gmail, Google doesn’t work here but I did not know that Visa card was troubled me too. How did you feel when your visa card was blocked and you did not have any money to survive, also you couldn’t connect to your friends asking for help, life is suffering now? It’s pretty hard to get the sim card in China, so I couldn’t make call to Cambodia, most of people has the WeChat account in Cambodia just those are not my good friends who can help me out. Luckily, I have known people in China so I have their WeChat account to pay the bills for me. My friends would help me to pay the bills but I don’t have cash to buy whatever I want. From my truly experience in China.
Here’s the very expensive experience for me, I have learnt a lot from this China’s trip. I thought Visa card/Credit cards should be used widely in anywhere but just not in China mainland. Watch out when you traveling to China better bring enough cash don’t depend on the Visa or Credit cards.
Well, the card was blocked you could solve it but the worst thing when it falls in the weekend when there was no one working, for many days without money? There is saying prevention is always better than cure. Before you are going to China ask your family or friends having the international WeChat account in case of the emergency you couldn’t connect them via Facebook. China makes me more open eyes and have learnt a lot of things. God bless I have good friends here just one need they are willing to help. China is the difference world unpredictable and un expectable.
