As I understand it, smartphone electronic payment (WeChat) is the de facto and sometimes required payment modality in mainland China now in 2024.
Is there a situation similar in Taipei? Or is it more like the US (cash, Apple Pay and credit cards).
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1From a recent trip to mainland China, while it is true that WeChat is the standard method of payment virtually everywhere, every single human vendor I encountered would also take cash. Vending machines might be electronic payment only.– quaragueCommented Aug 24 at 17:21
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1 Answer
Cash is the de facto standard of payment in Taiwan. There are many vendors, shops, restaurants and stalls that only accept cash. Local transportation also tends to be paid cash.
Larger establishments such as hotels, trains and rentals accept credit cards. Although I had no trouble using a VISA or MasterCard credit cards in places like that, smaller shops that did accept cards often did not work with either. A card network called Union Pay is more commonly accepted.
This situation extends to ATM. Except in Taipei, it was very difficult to find an ATM to withdraw cash from. It took many tries and research to identify ATMs that would allow me to withdraw cash, even when they were in fact by the same apparent bank as my debit card. Be sure to take out enough cash when you are in Taipei until you can reach another major city.
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UnionPay works with Discover/DinersClub cards from outside Asia. Commented Aug 24 at 3:09
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Although I've seen those logos too, I do not recall ever seeing one of those cards! They are certainly not common in the Americas.– ItaiCommented Aug 24 at 3:59
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1Discover is very popular in the US. DinersClub cards are usually co-branded with something else (Visa/MC/Discover), rarely do I see DinersClub branded cards on their own nowadays. Commented Aug 24 at 4:46
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Is your experience recent? While I have never visited Taiwan, I’m surprised such an economy is still cash-based, especially after the pandemic.– jcaronCommented Aug 24 at 10:28