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To place most money on a travel money card, it’s best to do it online via direct deposit from your bank account in Australia. Some companies charge if you put money on via Bpay and most charge you to put money on a travel card in person.

You should use a travel money card for security. A travel money card is more secure than cash, you can only access your funds with your pin code, if the card is lost you can cancel it quickly. If you lose cash, you are unlikely to see it again.

The best form of travel money in China is a mix of cards and cash. You need debit cards and credit cards and a prepaid travel card is a handy backup. China is also an economy that relies heavily on cash, so you need to buy Chinese Yuan before you leave or withdraw some from an ATM in China. The best cards to use to withdraw cash from in China are Citibank or HSBC to pay the least amount of fees.

Yes, the Wise card does work in China, wherever Mastercard is accepted. You can pay for accommodation, restaurants with your Wise card. In addition you can withdraw cash from an ATM during your stay in China.

A travel money card is a good compliment to cash in China and we highly recommend taking both to China. Many times a card will not work in China or they don’t accept cards so it is good to take cash. Other times it is too unwieldy to take the amount of cash required to pay for things like hotel accommodation, so a travel money card is better.

The best travel cards to use in China are the Wise Multi Currency card, which offers the best exchange rate for Chinese Yuan Renminbi, a HSBC Global, Citibank Plus or Commonwealth Travel Money Card for ATM withdrawals and the BankWest Platinum Breeze card for credit purchases. All of these cards do not charge an international transaction fee of 3%.