Shanghai Expat :: View topic - Using Unionpay in the UK

Shanghai Expat

Questions and Answers - Using Unionpay in the UK

Humac - Mar 09, 2009 - 01:28 PM
Post subject: Using Unionpay in the UK

This from China Unionpay's website last year:

On Sept. 19th in London, China Unionpay (CUP) officially signed a cooperation agreement with LINK, the largest ATM operator in UK. CUP cards will realize money-drawing services on ATMs in UK in the near future.

Does anyone know if it's now possible to draw money out at LINK ATMs throughout the UK with a Unionpay card? I emailed LINK but they didn't know anything about it, or said they didn't. Wondered if anyone had tried yet?

chingiskhan - Mar 09, 2009 - 02:00 PM
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It was supposed to go live in "early 2009" so it should be okay now but if not, I remember specifically someone here was saying there were still some machines that could take them, for example, some place in Mayfair. But now I have a Chinese credit card it's much less of an issue for me.

jzzzzzzz - Mar 09, 2009 - 02:03 PM
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I'm back in the UK at the end of next week so will give this a try.

chingiskhan - Mar 09, 2009 - 02:28 PM
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Tut Tut Humac, we've covered this before:

http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/MDForum-viewtopic-t-85807-start-25.phtml

I knew this sounded familiar. Citibank in Mayfair apparently and also at The Strand.

Humac - Mar 09, 2009 - 02:33 PM
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chingiskhan wrote:

Tut Tut Humac, we've covered this before:

http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/MDForum-viewtopic-t-85807-start-25.phtml

I knew this sounded familiar. Citibank in Mayfair apparently and also at The Strand.

Yep, sorry. I know about the two London branches but my query was about the new LINK machines agreement. They're all over the UK. I wondered if anyone had tried them and if they gave out cash using a China Unionpay card. Not really cost effective for me to travel to London when I'm in the UK.

chingiskhan - Mar 09, 2009 - 02:45 PM
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Yeah, due in early 2009 but there's no way of knowing for sure unless someone here can verify it. Great news though if and when it starts.

melloyello - Mar 09, 2009 - 03:43 PM
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check the weblink for more info;

http://www.link.co.uk/press/2008/mn_press_release_20080919.htm

Humac - Mar 09, 2009 - 03:49 PM
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melloyello wrote:

check the weblink for more info;

http://www.link.co.uk/press/2008/mn_press_release_20080919.htm

Thanks, they're not specific about the date either. But I'll try another email. Last time they professed not to know anything about it!

melloyello - Mar 09, 2009 - 03:51 PM
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I'll ask some of my chinese student friends in the UK.

Humac - Mar 23, 2009 - 10:51 AM
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jzzzzzzz wrote:

I'm back in the UK at the end of next week so will give this a try.

melloyello wrote:

I'll ask some of my chinese student friends in the UK.

Any update on this? Anyone tried to use their Unionpay card at a bank in the UK? Apart from the two in London we already know about, that is.

kidrok - Mar 23, 2009 - 12:52 PM
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never done it but if their website professes they can it wud be very unlikely they cud screw that-up (except yes i know its china, look forward to a few thousand fake notes and no accountability hah)

Humac - Mar 23, 2009 - 01:44 PM
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kidrok wrote:

never done it but if their website professes they can it wud be very unlikely they cud screw that-up (except yes i know its china, look forward to a few thousand fake notes and no accountability hah)

No, no problem with fake notes. You'd be withdrawing sterling from a UK bank, not rmb. LINK and Unionpay say they've signed an agreement but, so far, I've heard of no one who has tried to withdraw money from their Chinese bank account using their Unionpay card in a LINK atm in the UK (apart from those two Citibank machines in London).

chingiskhan - Mar 23, 2009 - 02:28 PM
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It's beginning to look like the only way to know is go over and try it personally. Surprising that nobody has been back recently and tried to use the ATM card. I won't be going till the summer so I'm betting someone else here will beat me to it.

Humac - Mar 23, 2009 - 03:06 PM
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chingiskhan wrote:

Hope someone can try it. I'm not home until October. Was hoping to know before then. Don't want to be stuck in the UK with all my money in a Chinese bank and no way to get it!

chingiskhan - Mar 23, 2009 - 03:48 PM
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Humac wrote:

chingiskhan wrote:

Hope someone can try it. I'm not home until October. Was hoping to know before then. Don't want to be stuck in the UK with all my money in a Chinese bank and no way to get it!

I'll definitely be there before then, but I find it hard to believe by October they haven't got it sorted. They said "early 2009" so if it's not working now they could argue it's still early in the year.

Otherwise getting a local to exchange RMB here for pounds works well and that's what I did before.

hundan - May 25, 2009 - 02:09 PM
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I wrote this in Banking and Finance, but no one saw it:

I am back in England for a bit. Let me confirm: the China UnionPay card can be used in the 5 citibank ATM's in London, incl the Hanover Sq ones near Oxford Street. But the agreement to roll out CUP card use to all ATMs in the LINK network has not been implemented yet. I know the website said that it woudl be early in 2009, but I phoned the LINK in England and they said it hasn't been actioned yet, and all they can say is that it will happen later this year, and the announcement will be on their website. So there are 5 locations in the UK where you can withdraw money on a CUP card - all in London.

Humac - May 25, 2009 - 07:07 PM
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Thanks for the update. Will keep an eye on the LINK website and provide an update in October unless someone else finds it works before then.

chingiskhan - July 03, 2009 - 06:41 AM
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I can confirm that as of July 2nd 2009, CUP does NOT work in standard LINK ATM machines in the UK.

hundan - Aug 18, 2009 - 02:54 AM
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Hi. CUP cards DO work in standard LINK ATM machines in the UK. I used it today. It was the first time it worked - and I have tried dozens of times since coming home in January.

GC - Aug 18, 2009 - 03:30 AM
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^in uk just now so will give it a try

Humac - Aug 18, 2009 - 03:53 AM
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hundan wrote:

Hi. CUP cards DO work in standard LINK ATM machines in the UK. I used it today. It was the first time it worked - and I have tried dozens of times since coming home in January.

Outside London? That would be great news!

Humac - Aug 18, 2009 - 04:15 AM
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Ah, just found this...

http://www.link.co.uk/press/2009/mn_press_release_20090811.html

nuthatch - Aug 19, 2009 - 12:10 AM
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I have tried to use my union pay card in the UK several times recently including today. No luck yet.

hundan - Aug 19, 2009 - 04:31 AM
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I think some cards are not authorised for overseas use. Does your card work in the Citibank ATMs in London?

chingiskhan - Sep 22, 2009 - 01:48 AM
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Right. Unionpay DEFINITELY DOES work now in the UK Link network. I got money out at Barclays and a few other bank ATMs.

The fee of course depends on your bank. Mine is ICBC and it cost 1% plus 12 rmb. So taking out the equivalent of 3000 rmb cost 30 rmb + 12 rmb =42 rmb. Therefore it is better to take out as much as you can in one go rather than many small amounts paying 12 rmb each time.

Humac - Sep 22, 2009 - 02:34 AM
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^ Great news. I'm with ICBC and due back in the UK next month. Did you have to get the bank to authorise your card for overseas transactions?

Swiss-James - Sep 22, 2009 - 10:45 AM
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chingiskhan wrote:

Is this using a credit card or normal bank card?

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