Which U.S. Credit Cards Are Best for Use in China?

What kinds of cards work best in China

Many people travel back to China from time to time to visit family and enjoy great food. Before the trip, a common question is: which U.S. credit cards are the most convenient to use in China, and which ones can still earn bonus rewards there? In this article, we’ll go over the U.S. credit cards that are best suited for spending in China. Each of the cards below has its own strengths, but we’ve prioritized the strongest options first.

Let’s first talk about what makes a card a good fit for use in China. Here are a few key things to look for:

• No foreign transaction fee: Purchases made in China count as foreign transactions for a U.S. card, so you should definitely use a card with no foreign transaction fee. Otherwise, you may pay around 3% extra.
• Whether it earns bonus rewards that can actually be triggered in China: This includes worldwide dining multipliers, travel multipliers, and mobile wallet bonus rewards.
• Whether it can be added to Meituan for dining bonus rewards: We covered this in detail in our Meituan article. See Meituan + U.S. Credit Cards: A Complete Guide to Reliable Dining Multipliers with No Fees.
• Whether any credits and benefits can actually be used in China: For example, dining credits, travel credits, Priority Pass, and trip delay insurance.

All of the cards recommended below have no foreign transaction fee, and each has at least one or more of the advantages above. If you spend extended periods of time in China, these may also be good long-term keeper cards.

Citi Strata Elite

Citi Strata Elite is a credit card with a $595 annual fee. It is a premium card newly launched by Citi in 2025, and it is especially well suited for use within China. First, it offers very strong rewards on dining, up to 6x, and restaurants worldwide can be automatically recognized based on merchant category code (MCC), allowing you to earn bonus rewards. Combined with Meituan, an app that is extremely widely used in China, you can potentially earn up to 6x points on dining, entertainment activities, voucher purchases, and instant delivery purchases. The points can be transferred 1:1 to many airline partners including AA, and are valued at around 1.5 cents per point, so 6x on dining is effectively worth about 9% back.

• Meituan + U.S. Credit Cards: A Complete Guide to Reliable Dining Multipliers with No Fees

In addition, the card itself has no foreign transaction fee, so it is convenient for spending in China. It also comes with Priority Pass membership. At most airports in China, there are Priority Pass partner lounges or facilities you can access for free. You can also book hotels in China through Citi Travel to use the credit. Since there is no hotel tier restriction, the $300 credit can go a long way.

Finally, the card earns 1.5x on all purchases, so even when you can’t trigger a bonus category, 1.5x is still quite solid. You can add the card to WeChat Pay or Alipay and pay by scanning a code directly. For transactions under ￥200, there is no fee. That 1.5x is roughly equivalent to 2.25% back, which is pretty good.

BofA Atmos Summit

BofA Atmos Summit offers 3x on international spending, so all of your purchases in China can earn 3x. Add this card to WeChat Pay, Alipay, and Meituan, and you can earn 3x on most of your spending. The card also has no foreign transaction fee, which makes it especially powerful.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Preferred is a credit card with a $95 annual fee. It earns 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining and 2x on other travel. You can use the same Meituan strategy to earn 3x on dining. In addition, airfare purchases through Meituan may code as travel, which fits this card’s 2x travel category. That gives it broader coverage than a dining-only bonus.

The card also now includes a $50 hotel credit once per cardmember year, which requires booking a hotel through Chase Travel. You can use it on lower-cost hotels in China and easily use up that hotel credit. Finally, the card has no foreign transaction fee, whether you use it directly in China or add it to WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve is a credit card with a $795 annual fee. It earns 3x points on dining, and you can also add it to Meituan to pay and earn 3x. Those 3x points are worth about 4.5%, which is solid. In addition, the card itself has no foreign transaction fee, so it is convenient for spending in China. It also includes Priority Pass lounge access plus the ability to bring 2 guests for free. If you buy airfare with this card, it also comes with trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, so if something goes wrong with a domestic flight in China, you may be able to use this card’s protections.

One downside is that this card’s Edit hotel credit has limited coverage in China, so it can be difficult to use.

Citi Strata Premier

Citi Premier is a credit card with a $95 annual fee, and it also earns 3x ThankYou Points on restaurants. Using Meituan, you can still get 3x. This card has no foreign transaction fee, whether you use it directly in China or add it to WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Capital One Venture X

Capital One Venture X is a relatively new credit card with a $395 annual fee. It has no foreign transaction fee and earns 2x miles on all purchases. So if your spending in China doesn’t fall into useful bonus categories, it’s perfectly fine to just use this card for everything. It can also be added to Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Meituan.

US Bank Altitude Reserve

US Bank Altitude Reserve is a credit card with a $400 annual fee that earns 3x points on travel purchases. The points can be redeemed at 1.5 cents per point through US Bank Travel or via Real Time Rewards. If your Apple Pay works in China, you can use this card through Apple Pay to earn 3x on all purchases.

Other credit cards

A few other cards are also worth noting:

• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: 3x on dining and travel, and works well in China when paired with Meituan. However, the points themselves are not especially valuable. No foreign transaction fee.
• Wells Fargo Autograph: 3x on dining, and works well in China when paired with Meituan. However, the points themselves are not especially valuable. No foreign transaction fee.
• AMEX Gold is a charge card with a $325 annual fee and earns 4x on dining worldwide. Unfortunately, because it is an AMEX card, it cannot be added to Meituan, otherwise it would be incredible.
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant has a $300 credit that can be triggered at some restaurants in China. Combined with its Marriott free night benefit and Marriott Platinum benefits, it can still make sense as a long-term card to hold while spending time in China.
• Citi Prestige: This card has already been discontinued and can only be obtained through a product change. It earns 5x ThankYou Points on airfare, third-party booking sites (Priceline, Orbitz), and dining; 3x on hotel bookings and cruise purchases; and 1x on everything else. ThankYou Points can be transferred to AA, Singapore Airlines, Avianca, and other mileage partners.