Short answer: for a city-based trip, RMB 300 to 800 per person is enough, because mobile payment covers almost everything you will buy. For rural, mountainous or remote itineraries, carry RMB 1,000 to 2,000. Two legal limits matter more than any daily figure: cash above RMB 20,000 or USD 5,000 equivalent must be declared at customs, and a foreign card can take only RMB 3,000 per ATM withdrawal. Treat notes as a backup that never drops to zero, not as your main wallet.
Why you still need some cash in 2026
China runs on QR codes, but cash never stopped being legal tender, and the rules now lean your way. The Rules on RMB Cash Receipt and Payment Services (Announcement No. 29 of 2025, in force since February 1, 2026) require any business that collects payment in person to accept cash, without steering you to a phone or attaching conditions to notes. If a ticket window or car park refuses, keep the evidence and complain to the local branch of the People's Bank of China.
You will still want notes for: village markets and farm stalls; small temple and scenic-area ticket windows; staffed public toilets; left-luggage counters; the deposit some family guesthouses ask for; street food in older residential districts; and the occasional older taxi with no payment sticker on the window.
How much to carry, by trip style
| Trip style | Cash on hand | Why this figure |
|---|---|---|
| City trip, one week, mobile payment set up | RMB 300 to 500 | Backup for stalls, toilets and the day your phone dies |
| Multi-city by train and plane, two weeks | RMB 500 to 800 | More small payments, more counters that only take notes |
| Rural, mountain or far-western routes | RMB 1,000 to 2,000 | Fewer card terminals, weaker signal, farm stays |
| Business trip with hotel and car service | RMB 300 to 500 | Hotel, car and meals are settled by card or account |
| Student or study-tour group | RMB 200 to 400 per student | Group leader holds a separate reserve |
These figures are our planning guide from running inbound trips, not an official number, and they assume your card is already linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Paying only in cash means multiplying them by three, because you are then covering meals, tickets and taxis in notes.
How much you can actually take out of an ATM
Bank of China, whose machines are the most reliable for foreign cards, states that a single withdrawal with a card issued outside China is capped at RMB 3,000 (about USD 420). Your own bank sets the rest: the daily and annual cumulative limits, and the fees. The practical result is that you will rarely hold more than RMB 3,000 in fresh notes, and machines dispense RMB 100 notes, so one withdrawal hands you a thick stack and very little small change.
Five things that save money and trouble:
1. Use a debit card. A credit card cash advance starts charging interest the same day.
2. Always withdraw in RMB. If the screen offers to convert to your home currency, decline; that conversion rate is poor.
3. Prefer the state banks (Bank of China, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China) over standalone machines inside shops, which often reject foreign cards.
4. Withdraw less often and in larger amounts, because the Chinese bank charges a fixed fee per withdrawal.
5. Ask branch staff for a small-change pack (lingqianbao). Banks now hand these out for exactly this purpose, and it is the easiest way to get RMB 10 and 20 notes.
The customs thresholds you must not cross
Under GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2025, in force since April 1, 2025, anyone entering or leaving China with more than RMB 20,000 in renminbi, or foreign cash worth more than USD 5,000, must declare it in writing and use the red channel. The limits are per person, and you may carry renminbi and foreign currency at the same time. You can pre-fill the declaration in the customs service mini-program inside WeChat or Alipay and confirm it at the airport before you clear.
On the way out, foreign cash up to USD 5,000 needs no permit. Between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 you need a carrying certificate from a foreign exchange bank, and above USD 10,000 is generally not permitted. Keep the declaration slip from your arrival: it is the record customs checks if you leave with a large amount, and travellers who make frequent short trips face tighter limits.
What the money looks like
RMB 100 is the largest note in circulation, followed by 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins run from 1 yuan down to 5 and 1 jiao. There is no 500 or 1,000 note. The current RMB 100 series dates from November 2015 and carries a colour-shifting number, a windowed security thread and a watermark; a tilt in daylight is enough to check all three. Hotels, banks and chain stores are low risk, while night markets and taxi change deserve a second look. Any bank branch will swap a torn note for a clean one at no charge.
Where to change money
Three options, in order of rate: a bank branch counter with your passport, best rate but banking hours; exchange counters and self-service machines at airports, stations and major hotels, marked with the exchange sign; and ATMs, which give a clean interbank rate plus fees. Hotel front desks are the most convenient and usually the worst rate. Change enough for the first two days, then top up at a branch once you know how much cash you actually use.
How we handle cash on our trips
On a LinkedTours itinerary your guide carries a working float for tickets, toilets and small entries, points you to the nearest reliable ATM, and can break a large note when a stall cannot. If you would rather settle the guide's incidental costs in cash at the end of the trip, say so when we plan the route. Tell us your destinations and dates and we will send a cash plan matched to the route, including the stretches where notes still matter.
Last updated: November 13, 2026. Sources: General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Announcement No. 43 of 2025 on the declaration of baggage and articles by inbound and outbound travellers (effective April 1, 2025); People's Bank of China, National Development and Reform Commission and National Financial Regulatory Administration, Announcement No. 29 of 2025, Rules on RMB Cash Receipt and Payment Services (effective February 1, 2026); Bank of China, ATM service page for cards issued outside China (boc.cn); State Administration of Foreign Exchange and General Administration of Customs, Interim Measures on the Administration of Carrying Foreign Currency Cash into and out of China (Hui Fa No. 102 of 2003).
Planning a trip and unsure how much of your budget should be in notes? Send us your route and dates and we will reply with a cash and payment plan for each city.
