Bringing Money Into China

[lordnikon]

I have a couple questions about bringing money into china that i could not find already answered. I plan on going to china for an extended period(about a year)

1. the first problem I have is how to bring in enough money to pay for apartment when i get there, I have someone helping me to find an apartment but as soon as i arrive I will need to pay 3 months rent + deposit so what is the best way to bring in a large amount of money? should I just bring in USD and change them at the bank as soon as i get there? (I am American in case it matters)

2. if I open a chinese bank account is it difficult to transfer money from US account to my account? I already have bank of america account and know about the free atm use with China construction bank, I also have HSBC account, (regular account, I dont have enough money to open a premier account nor can i afford the fees) is transferring money from HSBC in america to HSBC in china easier than transferring to other chinese banks, I know that HSBC in china and in the US are totally separate, I assume you can use the HSBC atms in china without being charged a fee, am i right?

[abcdefg]

1. the first problem I have is how to bring in enough money to pay for apartment when i get there, I have someone helping me to find an apartment but as soon as i arrive I will need to pay 3 months rent + deposit so what is the best way to bring in a large amount of money? should I just bring in USD and change them at the bank as soon as i get there? (I am American in case it matters)

Just bring the cash in US Dollars for your immediate needs including housing deposits. It's really not that much.

[Gibbs]

I came to China from the US. If you have a Bank of America account, you can use it free of any fees or surcharges at any China Construction Bank. Bank of America and China Construction Bank have a special partnership. I arrived in China with only $200USD but was able to use my Bank of America account to withdraw 7,000RMB from the China Construction Bank Atms to pay my tuition.