How to Sign-Up for Chinese Banking

Welcome to the insides of a Chinese bank, keep your hands in and get ready for a smooth ride.

Pre-Attractions: Before going to the bank study some Mandarin about the “Bank” with your Mandarin tutor.

Attraction #1: Take a number. Take a number in an American bank or take a number in China. It’s the same ordeal.

 Attraction#2: Bring a Chinese friend to help you fill out the banking application and to help translate with the teller because strangely enough the process is in Mandarin. The banking application is in Mandarin, what gives? =)

 Attraction #3: Give the sweet teller your banking application and passport. Try to practice what Mandarin you learned from the tutoring. My experience was a fail. My teller spoke some English and the few words I knew didn’t help the process.

Wo(3) xiang(3) yi(2) ge jie(4)ji(4)ka(3).  

I want a debit card. 

Our Chinese friend was helpful when there was a need for a further explanation.

Attraction 4: Be ready to have two different passwords for your banking in China.

Attraction 5: It’s the end of the attractions and you made it through the Chinese banking. Congrats!

A word to the wise, if you’re an American bank with China Construction Bank because they have a partnership with Bank of America. I recommend this because transferring money will be easier for you. You can send an extra debit card home, and have family withdraw without fees at Bank of America. You can also send money via Paypal, which might just be the easiest but is a little more technical.