Is it possible to obtain a UnionPay card before leaving for China?

[Nicoletta]

Hello everyone,

 

I'd like to go to China to study at Shenzhen University.

 

The problem is that they will only accept a UnionPay card to pay the fees (the alternative is to go to the bank and pay in cash). I know it's very easy to get a card once you're there, but then I would have to wire the money from my bank account and that would take days.

 

Is there a way I could purchase a UnionPay card before I go there? (I live in Italy).

 

Many thanks for any help you could provide!

[Sinofaze]

Can you not pay the fees to their account from your local bank by making an international transfer?

 

If not, you may have to look at opening a paypal account, which I hear is speedy.

 

The other alternative is, if your Italian bank has online services, then you can open an account at ICBC in China (ICBC has an international branch in Milan) and then, once settled, transfer the fees between accounts online. ICBC operates a Unionpay debit card service. Downside to this is the "Great Firewall" but a free VPN (Freegate) can get by it easily. In this method, it may take a few days for it to clear.

 

If you're in a large city in China, it's likely your local ICBC branches will have moderate English-speaking staff to help.

 

Also note that making 24-hour international cash transfers is possible through Western Union, where there are agents all over China. So worth locating a WU agent in your destination area.

 

's all I got.

[Nicoletta]

Thank you so much Sinofaze for your interesting reply.

 

The fees must be paid after I enter China, and they only allow a three-day window to arrive and pay.

 

I'm very interested in the PayPal option. Do they provide a credit card within the UnionPay circuit? On their website, I can only find Mastercard. Could you elaborate on this idea?

[Sinofaze]

 

The fees must be paid after I enter China, and they only allow a three-day window to arrive and pay.

That's a bit tight. It may be because of the restrictions in getting a visa for you.

 

ICBC (and likely all other Chinese banks) will not provide you with a credit card. I know because I've tried to get one in all the time I've been in China.

 

The good news, however, is that Unionpay debit cards can be used in ATMs that have Unionpay logo across the world. I know this from a South African I met in China, who explained to me that he has two ICBC accounts, each with a debit card. He sent one over to his mother back home and simply transfers money between the two ICBC accounts in China and his mum back home withdraws her share.

 

What this means is that it's possible to withdraw cash from ICBC account at a Unionpay-registered ATM in your home country. However, you may want to confirm this with ICBC branch in Milan.

 

Has the school given you any other advice on this matter?

[studychinese]

How about using Alipay?

[Sinofaze]

I've not had any experience of using Alipay. Sorry.

[roddy]

I don't see how an ICBC in Milan is going to help. It'll be a completely different bank and probably not even open to non-business customers. Nor Paypal - how exactly is that going to help? I've yet to see a Chinese university accept fees by Paypal, or Alipay. I'm quite possibly behind the times here, but it'd be good if you could explain, step-by-step, exactly how these are meant to help. I'm pretty sure we've seen people assume money in a 'Chinese' bank in the UK would be easily accessible in China. It wasn't. 

 

Anyway...

 

The actual university website says it's possible to pay by credit card. I think most people do that (perhaps get a pre-paid credit card just for this - that's in the UK, not sure if you have them), or just carry cash and / or make maximum withdrawals on their home bank card for a few days. One semesters fees are 9000Y, say you take 600EUR to change into cash, then withdraw another 200EUR every day for 3 days - something like that.

[Simon_CH]

Second roddy's suggestion: the simple solution is to bring your ATM card (Maestro or similar) and withdraw cash (up to 3'000 per transaction). Maybe you manage to open a local bank account in these three days, then you can just deposit it in many machines, or you just pay in cash. Make sure your daily withdrawal limit on international ATMs is set as high as possible before you leave for China. 

[Nicoletta]

Thank you everyone for the help!

 

One semesters fees are 9000Y, say you take 600EUR to change into cash, then withdraw another 200EUR every day for 3 days - something like that.

I have already considered the cash option and I'm keeping that in mind. I don't like to travel with so much cash, but I'll do it if I don't succeed in obtaining a UnionPay card.

 

The actual university website says it's possible to pay by credit card. 

The University will accept both UnionPay credit and debit cards, but NOT Visa or Mastercard.

 

 I think most people do that (perhaps get a pre-paid credit card just for this - that's in the UK, not sure if you have them)

I know that UnionPay pre-paid cards exist (http://www.unionpayintl.com/en/enproducts/encards/index.shtml?style=5) but I have no idea how to get one from outside of Asia. I have both a pre-paid Visa and a pre-paid Mastercard, but they will not help.

 

I don't see how an ICBC in Milan is going to help.

I called the Milan branch of ICBC and they told me they can't offer any cards for now (they should be able to offer a UnionPay debit card later this year, but they are still in the process of talking about it with the lawyers).

 

Has the school given you any other advice on this matter?

Copy-and-paste from the reply they sent to my email about the matter:

"Other students choose one of the options as well, either open an account in China, or pay in cash"

 

 

Anyway... back on topic... the goal is to get a debit/credit/prepaid/doesntmatter UnionPay circuit card from outside of China. Better yet... outside of Asia. Let the quest begin!!!

[roddy]

Ah, if you could get a Unionpay card from a bank in Italy, I can see how that would help. 

 

I can't open the page at the moment, but I think the university page said that you can pay with an international credit card, but you have to go to the bank, you can't do it at the university. Is that not an option? Basically you'd go to the bank, use your credit card to make a withdrawal, then pay it directly into the university's account.

[Nicoletta]

Yes, that would be a good compromise.

 

Still, It could be useful for everyone to have an alternative.

[edelweis]

The ICBC Paris website has this page promising easier trips to China with France's first Unionpay card.

Also this page for ICBC London.

Could not find a similar page on the Milano website.

[歐博思]

At least you don't have a Discover credit card, who has a reciprocity agreement for mutual network coverage with Unionpay but just lacks the Unionpay logo so most merchants are reluctant to try it without a bit of friendly coaxing. It's kind of like the "is it better to have loved and lost, or never have loved at all"? 

 

I would second going to the bank and paying for it with your existing card. I've went with a friend of limited Chinese ability before to a Bank of China when he was paying for Zhejiang University fees and it was quick and painless: pay onto your university's account and done. The teller here even had Zhejiang University's account # memorized. I imagine the tellers at banks around your school will know how to deal with this very efficiently too.