After Interview - if he passes

[woainilin]

Hi: I ordered a credit card for my fiance in his name under my account. I activated it and sent it to him in the mail right before he went to his interview. It is an international VISA card. Can he use this in China to buy his plane ticket to the US assuming he passes? Has anyone tried this?

 

Thanks

Toni

[se_lang]

I sent my LP a bank card and credit card she was able to use no problem but she also lived in a major city, I would guess as long as it has his name on it he should not have a problem.

[LeeFisher3]

Some charge a 5% surcharge for buying an airline ticket to cover their expenses in credit card fees.

[Lowen/Zhang]

I have sent my wife a debit card and a credit card she has had no problem using both. You should not have activated it until you knew he had it in his possession. Anyway that under the bridge, you might have to contact your credit card issuing bank and inform them where the card will be used as they might not approve purchases in a foreign country unless you inform them the card is there. However, I would wait until your SO tells you he has received it to call your credit card company to inform them !!!!!!

[MikeandRong]

Hi: I ordered a credit card for my fiance in his name under my account.  I activated it and sent it to him in the mail right before he went to his interview.  It is an international VISA card.  Can he use this in China to buy his plane ticket to the US assuming he passes?  Has anyone tried this?

 

Thanks

Toni

237251[/snapback]

Toni, all things being equal. Remember it is a new card. When I did the same for my SO, I specifically told the credit card company it was going used in China for the first time (this seemed to be important to them, and they did make note of it). As it is not common for a Chinese to have a credit card issued from the USA, make sure they do infact sign it in Chinese (their name on the card as issued), and they "may" be asked for their ID as a verification at the time of use. We tested it out at a hotel just to make sure it was not a problem. We did get hit wth a foreign transaction fee when the bill came, but it would not have matted who's card was used, as it was used in China and issued in the USA. (transaction fee was 1%). DON'T use it for a cash advance unless it is a true emergency, you will get soaked in fees. And yes, as Lee stated, the airlines will (most likely) charge you an extras fee to use it to buy the tickets in China. Maybe he (you) could do it online (through United), and get an Eticket coming out of Beijing if that is your plan (hence no fee).

[woainilin]

Hi: I ordered a credit card for my fiance in his name under my account.  I activated it and sent it to him in the mail right before he went to his interview.  It is an international VISA card.  Can he use this in China to buy his plane ticket to the US assuming he passes?   Has anyone tried this?

 

Thanks

Toni

237251[/snapback]

Toni, all things being equal. Remember it is a new card. When I did the same for my SO, I specifically told the credit card company it was going used in China for the first time (this seemed to be important to them, and they did make note of it). As it is not common for a Chinese to have a credit card issued from the USA, make sure they do infact sign it in Chinese (their name on the card as issued), and they "may" be asked for their ID as a verification at the time of use. We tested it out at a hotel just to make sure it was not a problem. We did get hit wth a foreign transaction fee when the bill came, but it would not have matted who's card was used, as it was used in China and issued in the USA. (transaction fee was 1%). DON'T use it for a cash advance unless it is a true emergency, you will get soaked in fees. And yes, as Lee stated, the airlines will (most likely) charge you an extras fee to use it to buy the tickets in China. Maybe he (you) could do it online (through United), and get an Eticket coming out of Beijing if that is your plan (hence no fee).

237417[/snapback]

Thanks .. I guess I better think about this some more and determine which is the best way to go.

[tonado]

Wire money to him is better. Cash is king in China.

[Lowen/Zhang]

A little information for those that are looking for better ways to get money to their SO, SAFE AND RELIABLE and very little fee. Western Union charges like $15 I think.

I got a paypal debit card with a Mastcard logo. I can transfer money to it from my bank account free and my wife can use it at any ATM in China for only $1.50 transaction fee from paypal. There are no other fees or interest charged as it is actually a debit card. It can be used as a credit card with discount or cash back when used as credit. The money maintained in the account earns 5.2% as savings which is better than any savings account or CREDIT CARD! It takes about 3-4 days to transfer money to the card from your bank so you have to anticipate the need or make regular transfers. This card can be obtained at paypal.com.

Most places my wife uses the card requires her passport and she has signed the card in both English and Chinese

[Guest pushbrk]

A little information for those that are looking for better ways to get money to their SO, SAFE AND RELIABLE and very little fee. Western Union charges like $15 I think.

I got a paypal debit card with a Mastcard logo. I can transfer money to it from my bank account free and my wife can use it at any ATM in China for only $1.50 transaction fee from paypal. There are no other fees or interest charged as it is actually a debit card. It can be used as a credit card with discount or cash back when used as credit. The money maintained in the account earns 5.2% as savings which is better than any savings account or CREDIT CARD! It takes about 3-4 days to transfer money to the card from your bank so you have to anticipate the need or make regular transfers. This card can be obtained at paypal.com.

Most places my wife uses the card requires her passport and she has signed the card in both English and Chinese

237457[/snapback]

FYI, I sent money for my Wife's plane tickets via Western Union, that she went to pick up at the Agricultural Bank of China in Nanning. I had to reverse the order of her name before she could pick it up.

 

Instead of (Example) "Li Jiafang" the recipient name is entered "Jiafang Li". I was able to change it over the phone with Western Union at 800.325.6000

Edited August 14, 2006 by pushbrk (see edit history)

[pkfops]

Better to activate the card after he gets it.

[Guest pushbrk]

Better to activate the card after he gets it.

237465[/snapback]

True but it might be too late for that advice. The card is a very good thing to have if he gets delayed enroute or needs to pay for a hotel or something. Otherwise, my experience is that you can spend quite a bit of time finding a place that actually accepts credit cards.

 

I've seen my sister in-law pull out a stack of credit cards that would choke a donkey several times, only to have the selected card returned a few minutes later without being accepted by the restaurant.

 

Cash is King in China. If you don't have the cash to pay for the ticket and your only other option is a credit card, I think it would be better to get a cash advance on your own credit card and wire the cash.

Edited August 14, 2006 by pushbrk (see edit history)

[Randy W]

The PayPal debit card worked fine for us, except that no ATM in her home town would take it. If it works in her home town, it is the easiest and cheapest ($1.50?) method to get her CASH at an ATM. Even so, like pushbrk says, it came in VERY handy on her trip to the US to get cash in Beijing, and then American money here. The only time she had to use it in the US was to get a baggage cart.

[Guest pushbrk]

The PayPal debit card worked fine for us, except that no ATM in her home town would take it. If it works in her home town, it is the easiest and cheapest ($1.50?) method to get her CASH at an ATM. Even so, like pushbrk says, it came in VERY  handy on her trip to the US to get cash in Beijing, and then American money here. The only time she had to use it in the US was to get a baggage cart.

237473[/snapback]

My wife has a MasterCard debit card too. That's how she has received all money from me until it was time to pay for two plane tickets and final shopping expenses. It would have taken several days of maximum withdrawals to withdraw all the money needed, so I opted to use Western Union for this single purpose. She'll still have the debit card for any charges or withdrawals needed enroute.

 

Because Lin lives in a small village, my strong recommendation is that he be wired the needed money in Guangzhou. Between passing the interview and picking up the visa, he can research the needed plane tickets and buy them, in Guangzhou, as soon as the visa is in hand. My wife returned to Nanning and used a ticket agent trusted by her brother.

 

Travel in September, or in our case, August 30 will be much less expensive. In our case 6,700rmb instead of 10,000.

Edited August 14, 2006 by pushbrk (see edit history)

[Rickmt57]

I gave my wife a debit card and she has no problem using it. I did make sure though that it was the same as the card I had used while I was there.

[woainilin]

Hi: I ordered a credit card for my fiance in his name under my account.  I activated it and sent it to him in the mail right before he went to his interview.  It is an international VISA card.  Can he use this in China to buy his plane ticket to the US assuming he passes?  Has anyone tried this?

 

Thanks

Toni

237251[/snapback]

My problem is this. His little city where he will return after the interview does not have a western union. I was hoping by sending him the credit card he could go to the Changchun International Airport near his city and buy the ticket with the credit card. I can send him cash ..but last time when I mentioned sending him Western Union to a nearby city (1.5 hours). His town lists a western union but when he called they said it had not worked for international transfers for years. Changchun is also small and doesn't have too many foreigners so he is afraid theirs wont work either and I will be sending my money into oblivion. Does anyone know of a Western Union near the Consulate in GZ where I could wire him money after the interview?