{
  "id": "banking/china-unionpay-foreign-card-limit",
  "signature": "AI tells a foreign visitor to China that they can use a foreign-issued UnionPay card for all domestic payments without knowing the daily transaction cap of ¥10,000 for non-resident cards",
  "signature_zh": "AI告诉外国访客他们可以使用外国发行的银联卡进行所有国内支付，却不知道非居民卡每日交易限额为10,000元人民币",
  "regex": "UnionPay.*(?:limit|cap|declined).*(?:foreign|non-resident|overseas)",
  "domain": "banking",
  "category": "auth_error",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "Since the People's Bank of China (PBOC) tightened cross-border card rules in 2022, foreign-issued UnionPay cards have a hard daily transaction limit of ¥10,000 (approx. $1,400) for in-store purchases, with a separate ¥5,000 ATM withdrawal limit per day, enforced by the China UnionPay clearing system",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "自2022年中国人民银行收紧跨境卡规定以来，外国发行的银联卡店内消费每日硬性交易限额为10,000元人民币（约1,400美元），ATM取款每日单独限额5,000元，由中国银联清算系统强制执行",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "UnionPay International Card Spec v4.2 (2023)",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "version": "PBOC Document No. 12 (2022)",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "The limit is enforced by China UnionPay's domestic clearing system, not the issuing bank; the bank cannot override PBOC regulations",
      "fail_rate": 1.0,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "The cap is cumulative across all merchants in a rolling 24-hour window; once the total exceeds ¥10,000, all subsequent transactions are declined",
      "fail_rate": 0.95,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "Foreign-issued UnionPay cards registered in Chinese wallets are subject to the same ¥10,000 daily cap, plus an additional ¥5,000 wallet transfer limit",
      "fail_rate": 0.9,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Carry a backup Visa/Mastercard for purchases over ¥10,000; use the UnionPay card only for small daily expenses like taxis and convenience stores",
      "success_rate": 0.95,
      "how": "Carry a backup Visa/Mastercard for purchases over ¥10,000; use the UnionPay card only for small daily expenses like taxis and convenience stores",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "Pre-load a Chinese bank account via SWIFT transfer (e.g., from HSBC to ICBC) and use local debit card which has no foreign card limits",
      "success_rate": 0.85,
      "how": "Pre-load a Chinese bank account via SWIFT transfer (e.g., from HSBC to ICBC) and use local debit card which has no foreign card limits",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "Request a temporary limit increase from China UnionPay by visiting a branch with passport and proof of longer stay (e.g., work visa), but this requires a Chinese bank account",
      "success_rate": 0.6,
      "how": "Request a temporary limit increase from China UnionPay by visiting a branch with passport and proof of longer stay (e.g., work visa), but this requires a Chinese bank account",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [
    "Carry a backup Visa/Mastercard for purchases over ¥10,000; use the UnionPay card only for small daily expenses like taxis and convenience stores",
    "Pre-load a Chinese bank account via SWIFT transfer (e.g., from HSBC to ICBC) and use local debit card which has no foreign card limits",
    "Request a temporary limit increase from China UnionPay by visiting a branch with passport and proof of longer stay (e.g., work visa), but this requires a Chinese bank account"
  ],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": "https://www.unionpayintl.com/en/globalCard/cardServices/",
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": "UPAY-LIMIT-9003",
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.88,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.8,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2023-06-01",
  "last_confirmed": "2024-06-01",
  "last_updated": "2024-06-01",
  "evidence_count": 1,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": []
}