Discover card in China

In an article about Shanghai, a traveler reported that a restaurant did not accept Visa, MasterCard or American Express (Feb. ’15, pg. 11). There’s a simple solution: use a Discover card.

Discover (800/347-2683, www.discover.com) has a relationship with China UnionPay,* a banking network and bank card provider in China. You should be able to use a Discover card wherever the China UnionPay logo is displayed (it’s in English). 

Moreover, to make things easier, go online to the Discover card webpage www.discover.com/credit-cards/help-center/faqs/asia.html and, under the heading “Where can I use my card in China?,” look for this text: “To aid you in the use of your Discover card throughout mainland China, click here to download a convenient, wallet-sized instruction card. This card will direct you to locations where the card is accepted, and provide card processing directions for the merchant (in both English and Chinese). If the merchant seems unfamiliar with your card, simply hand the merchant the instruction card to facilitate the transaction.”

Download and print out the PDF provided, cut out the instruction card and fold it into a 2-sided card to take with you. You could even laminate it. 

I did this for an April 2013 Celebrity cruise that had stops in Beijing (Tianjin) and Shanghai. My wife, Sarah, and I were able to use her Discover card in restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues and souvenir shops. If there were any doubts or when a merchant spoke limited English, I showed the Chinese instruction card and her Discover card was accepted. The card was not universally accepted in Hong Kong, however.

I called Discover card and they informed me that no foreign transaction fees are charged when using any of their cards. Discover card is also accepted wherever the Diners Club logo is found.

BRUCE WAXMAN

Fairfax, VA

*China UnionPay cards can be used anywhere the Discover card is accepted, including in the United States at Pulse-branded ATMs. (The Pulse network is owned by Discover.)