Card questions
Can I still pay cash in China?
Yes. The renminbi is China's legal tender (People's Bank of China Law, article 16). Since 1 February 2026, the Provisions on Renminbi Cash Receipt, Payment and Services require staffed tills and face-to-face services to support cash, and bar refusing cash or treating cash payers worse, unless a law requires a non-cash payment.
What does the card say in Chinese?
It says you would like to pay in cash and asks whether that is all right. You can add lines asking for the amount in writing, change for a 100-yuan note, a receipt, and that you do not speak Chinese. A last part names the rule that staffed tills must support cash.
My QR payment did not go through. What does the card do?
Choose "My QR payment did not go through". The card then opens by saying, in Chinese, that the QR payment failed and asks to pay in cash instead.
Does the rule cover vending machines, metro gates or app-only shops?
Not in the same way. Self-service machines and one-card venues such as parks and scenic areas must display how to pay, how to pay with cash and a contact number, and meet cash needs when mobile payment, the network or the machine fails. Services done fully online must state their payment methods in advance (articles 5 and 6). The card is for a staffed till.
What if they have no change?
Shops that take cash must keep reasonable change (article 8). If you pay with more coins or small notes than the till can count, staff may ask you to change them at a bank first, but cannot refuse cash for that reason (article 11). Carrying some smaller notes avoids most problems.
Is anything sent to your server?
No. The card and the saved image are made in your browser. There is nothing to type in, and your choices are kept only in this browser.