💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Beijing: Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, the CNY 200 fee rule, real-name sight tickets, Great Wall costs, the subway and airport trains, Peking duck, and which machines to use. For China-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the China Money Guide →🎧 Order Yuan Before You Fly
Land with some yuan for the first taxi and the cash-only stalls. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order CNY → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Beijing?
Very little. Beijing pays by phone: the noodle shop, the taxi, the hutong café, the museum shop and the street vendor all show a QR code for Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both apps now let you link a foreign Visa or Mastercard, so you can pay like a local from the day you land. Set them up before you fly, and test a small payment at the airport.
Cash is a backup, and now a legal right. New national rules on cash payments took effect on 1 February 2026: merchants serving customers face to face must accept renminbi notes and keep change, and refusing cash is prohibited. In practice, a small vendor may still struggle to find change for a ¥100 note. Carry ¥300 to 500 in mixed notes for the day a phone dies or an app rejects your card. The China money guide explains how to set up each app.
The CNY 200 Rule
When a foreign Visa or Mastercard is linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay, payments of ¥200 or less carry no fee. Above ¥200, a 3 percent fee applies to the whole amount, not just the part over the line, and is shown before you confirm. A ¥500 dinner costs ¥515. For big bills, pay the merchant's card terminal directly where there is one, or pay in cash.
Real-Name Tickets: the Forbidden City and the Temples
Passport, not cash, is the ticket. Beijing's big sights sell tickets online only, in your real name, against your passport number. You pay in the booking app or on the official site, and the passport you booked with is scanned at the gate. Bring it; a photocopy will not do.
The Forbidden City. The Palace Museum charges ¥60 from 1 April to 31 October and ¥40 from November to March, plus ¥10 each for the Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery inside. Daily visitor numbers are capped, tickets are released seven days ahead at 8pm Beijing time and sell out in summer and on holidays. The museum is closed on Mondays, except public holidays.
Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Both are cheaper and easier. The Temple of Heaven park costs about ¥15, or roughly ¥34 with the main halls; the Summer Palace about ¥30, or ¥60 with the inner gardens. Combination tickets are sold at the gate and online.
The Great Wall: What Mutianyu and Badaling Cost
Mutianyu, about 90 minutes north-east of the city, is the section most visitors choose: restored, less crowded than Badaling, and fitted with ways up and down that are each sold separately. Entry costs about ¥40, and the shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the foot of the wall ¥15 return.
Going up and coming down. The cable car to Tower 14 costs about ¥100 one way or ¥120 to 140 return. The chairlift up to Tower 6 with the toboggan back down, run by a different operator, costs about ¥140. The toboggan closes in rain and below freezing. Most visitors spend roughly ¥200 to 240 per person on site. Everything is payable by Alipay or WeChat Pay; keep this under ¥200 per transaction and you avoid the 3 percent fee.
Badaling, closest to the city and reached by train from Beijing North, costs about ¥40 in peak season. It is the busiest section and sells timed, real-name tickets online.
Getting there. Tour buses and private drivers sell Mutianyu trips with tickets included, from a few hundred yuan per person. Check what is included: some packages leave out the cable car or the toboggan, and others stop at a jade or silk factory on the way.
The Subway and the Airport Trains
Tap your own card. Beijing's subway now accepts foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and UnionPay contactless cards directly at the gates, on every line, at the same distance-based fares as local riders, usually ¥3 to 10. You can also pay with the transit QR code in Alipay. No paper ticket needed.
From Beijing Capital (PEK). The Capital Airport Express to Dongzhimen costs a flat ¥25, the same fare since 2008, and takes about 20 minutes. A taxi to the centre is metered, roughly ¥100 to 150 plus tolls.
From Beijing Daxing (PKX). The Daxing Airport Express runs to Caoqiao in about 20 minutes, with the fare rising for business class. A taxi to the centre costs more than from Capital, roughly ¥150 to 250.
Taxis and Didi. Metered taxis take Alipay and WeChat Pay, and so does Didi, China's ride-hailing app, which has an English interface and can be used inside Alipay.
Peking Duck: What It Costs
A whole duck for two. Beijing's signature dish is ordered by the bird, carved at the table and eaten with thin pancakes, scallions and sweet bean sauce. At popular local chains such as Siji Minfu, a whole duck costs around ¥260; at Quanjude, the historic name, roughly ¥260 to 400; at Da Dong about ¥400. Pancakes and sauces are sometimes billed separately.
The bill. Two people with a duck, a few side dishes and beer typically spend ¥450 to 600. That is above ¥200, so on a foreign card linked to Alipay it attracts the 3 percent fee. Large restaurants have card terminals: pay the bill there with a card that has no foreign transaction fee, or in cash.
Queues. The famous branches have long waits; most let you take a number on WeChat and come back.
ATMs in Beijing
Look for these logos. Bank of China and ICBC are the most reliable for foreign cards.
Bank of China
ICBCATM Locations
Look for machines with the Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay logos at Bank of China, ICBC and China Construction Bank branches around Wangfujing, Sanlitun, Guomao and the main stations, and in arrivals at both airports. Bank of China caps a foreign-card withdrawal at ¥3,000 per transaction. Chinese banks may add a local fee of roughly ¥15 to 30, shown on screen. China Construction Bank is Bank of America's Global ATM Alliance partner in mainland China: BoA's $5 non-network fee is waived there, but the 3% international transaction fee still applies.
⚠ The Currency Choice Screen
Some machines offer to charge your withdrawal in dollars or your home currency. Choose yuan; the machine's rate is worse than your bank's. Our DCC explainer shows why.
Tipping in Beijing
Tipping is not part of life in Beijing. Restaurants, taxis and hotels do not expect it, and some staff will chase you to return the money. Upmarket international hotels may add a service charge to the bill. Private tour guides and drivers on a Great Wall day trip are the exception: ¥50 to 100 per person for a good day is appreciated.
Prices in Beijing
Beijing is cheap for food and transport, and its sights are cheaper still.
| Item | Price (CNY) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Bowl of zhajiang noodles | ¥20–35 | $2.80–4.90 |
| Jianbing breakfast crepe | ¥8–15 | $1.10–2.10 |
| Whole Peking duck | ¥260–400 | $37–56 |
| Forbidden City, April to October | ¥60 | $8.50 |
| Temple of Heaven, park entry | ¥15 | $2.10 |
| Mutianyu entry plus cable car return | ¥160–180 | $23–25 |
| Subway ride | ¥3–10 | $0.40–1.40 |
| Capital Airport Express | ¥25 | $3.50 |
| Tsingtao in a restaurant | ¥10–25 | $1.40–3.50 |
| Taxi, Capital Airport to the centre | ¥100–150 | $14–21 |
USD estimates use approximately ¥7.1 = $1. Rates fluctuate.
Beijing Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and shops | ✅ Alipay, WeChat | 3% above ¥200 | Card terminals in larger places |
| Forbidden City | ✅ Online only | ¥60 / ¥40 | Real name, closed Mondays |
| Mutianyu Great Wall | ✅ Apps | ¥200–240 on site | Cable car and toboggan extra |
| Subway | ✅ Tap your card | ¥3–10 | All lines, airport lines too |
| Street stalls | Apps, cash backup | ¥8–30 | Cash must be accepted since 2026 |
| ATMs | BOC, ICBC, CCB | ¥3,000 per withdrawal at BOC | Choose yuan |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash in Beijing?
Little, but carry some. Almost everything is paid by Alipay or WeChat Pay, both of which link to foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. Since 1 February 2026, merchants serving customers in person are required to accept cash, which helps if your phone fails. Carry ¥300 to 500 as a backup.
Is there a fee for using Alipay with a foreign card?
Payments of ¥200 or less are free. Above ¥200, Alipay and WeChat Pay add a 3 percent fee on the whole amount for foreign cards, shown before you confirm. Your own card's foreign transaction fee, if it has one, comes on top.
How much is the Forbidden City ticket?
¥60 from 1 April to 31 October and ¥40 from November to March, plus ¥10 each for the Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery. Tickets are sold online only, by real name, released seven days ahead at 8pm, and the passport you booked with is checked at the gate. It is closed on Mondays except public holidays.
How much does the Great Wall at Mutianyu cost?
Entry is about ¥40 and the shuttle bus inside the site ¥15 return. The cable car costs about ¥100 one way or ¥120 to 140 return; the chairlift up and toboggan down about ¥140. Most visitors spend roughly ¥200 to 240 per person on site, plus transport from Beijing.
Can I use my foreign card on the Beijing subway?
Yes. Since 2026, foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and UnionPay contactless cards can be tapped directly at the gates on every line, including the airport lines, at the same fares as local passengers. The Capital Airport Express costs a flat ¥25.
Which ATMs work with foreign cards in Beijing?
Bank of China, ICBC and China Construction Bank machines in the city centre and at the airports. Bank of China caps a foreign-card withdrawal at ¥3,000 per transaction, and Chinese banks may add a local fee. China Construction Bank is Bank of America's Global ATM Alliance partner in mainland China: BoA's 5 dollar non-network fee is waived there, but the 3 percent international fee still applies.
Pay Smart in Beijing
The Wise card links to Alipay and WeChat Pay, converts at the real mid-market rate, and withdraws yuan at Bank of China machines without a foreign transaction fee.
Get the Wise Card →Hero photo: the Forbidden City, Beijing, by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.