【Updated 2020.10】It seems that Didi Hitch has resumed service in many places—almost everywhere, in fact. Strangely, there has been no official announcement. During the time Didi Hitch was suspended, DiDi’s competitor Dida Hitch grew rapidly and is even about to go public.

Why does this matter to those of us who like maximizing credit cards? Because both Didi and Dida can be paid with a US credit card (i.e. a foreign credit card). If you’re traveling in China, hitch/carpool rides can still save you quite a bit of money. Saving money while also putting spend on a US credit card—what’s not to like?

  • Didi: you can directly link an international (US) credit card for payment (though Hitch support is uncertain), or switch to a US credit card through WeChat Pay
  • Dida: requires switching to an international (US) credit card through WeChat Pay

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【The following was originally published on November 6, 2019】

The biggest recent Didi news was the Marriott–Didi partnership, with direct status match for “Platinum Premier” to Marriott Platinum and an added Platinum challenge.

Didi has long been a top choice for many readers returning to China who want to keep using US credit cards. You can either add a US credit card directly under Didi app’s “International Payment” section or route payment through WeChat. Compared with Uber, Didi has had one especially nice service in mainland China—or at least KUKU thought so when first returning to China: Hitch. This service lets people pick up passengers along their normal commute in a private car, earning a little gas money, while riders get lower prices than Didi Express. Based on the author’s own testing, fares were roughly 30%-50% cheaper than Express.

The service requires both drivers and riders to post their planned routes, and the system recommends the closest matches to each side. Carpooling is allowed, which can further reduce the per-person cost while improving the total economics for everyone involved. If you’re back in China only temporarily, routes such as from the airport to home can still get a decent number of matches.

Ride-hailing in mainland China with US credit cards can already add up to a meaningful amount of spending, and Hitch makes it even cheaper. However, after the 2018 incident in which a driver sexually assaulted and killed a female passenger, the service was forced offline indefinitely.

Today, Didi quietly brought Hitch back online and added additional screening systems for both drivers and passengers, though it is only being tested in a few cities for now.

If you need rides while visiting China, it may be worth trying. Hitch must be used within the Didi app and supports US credit cards (or WeChat + US credit card), with pretty good exchange rates. When using it, you need to post your route before departure; generally, it’s best to do so at least one day in advance.

  • Other related article:

https://www.uscreditcards101.com/news/34719/