Are you a foreign national holding residency in China? Do you want to link your UnionPay bank account and credit/debit card to PayPal? Let me show you the steps.

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Create A New PayPal Account

Do you have an existing PayPal account? Chances are, it doesn’t accept a UnionPay Card. If you have a PayPal account registered in the US, in the Philippines, or any other country other than China you would only be able to add the following cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express.

That’s why you must create another PayPal account. And it’s advisable to use a laptop when you create your Chinese Paypal account. Here are the steps you must follow:

  • Go to PayPal. If you are currently in China, there’s no need to use a VPN. Go straight to making sure the language/country is set to: Mainland China. This is the most important part among all steps. To do that, scroll down to the footer of the website. At the right corner, you can see a flag icon. Again, make sure it is set to Mainland China. See the images below.
  • Once you are done, get ready to sign up.
Scroll down to where you can see the flag and change it to: Mainland China
Click Mainland China
Make sure the Chinese flag appears
Get ready to sign up!
  • Select Individual Account and then click next.
Select Individual Account
  • Fill out all the needed information. Click next.
Provide All Info

Your Account Has Been Created

You are now ready to add your UnionPay credit or debit card. You’ll also be prompted to confirm your phone number and your email address. An SMS verification code will be sent to your phone number and a link is sent to your email. Make sure to confirm both.

Find and click where it says Link a debit or credit card. I have a debit card issued by Postal Savings Bank of China. Type in all digits you see on your card under Credit card number. Select UnionPay under card type. Type in the expiration date and the 3-digit security code found on the back of the card. Provide your phone number. Hit Link Card.

A 6-digit code will be sent to your phone number. Enter the code then click Confirm. Note: I didn’t re-enter my phone number. I just typed in the code and then hit Confirm. For some reason, it worked.

You’ll then get a message that your UnionPay Debit card has been confirmed!

Find and click where it says Link a bank account. Type in “the same” card number under Account Number. In my case, the Bank Name and SWIFT code auto-populated. If the Bank Name doesn’t auto-populate, select your Bank in the drop-down option. Leave the Name on bank account BLANK. Click Link Your Bank. You’re all set!

How To Send Money To Your Country Via Chinese PayPal Account

Easy. I have two PayPal accounts. One registered in the Philippines and now one in China. I can simply send the funds from my Chinese PayPal bank account to my Philippine-registered PayPal account. I can then transfer the funds from my PH PayPal account to my local bank. I hope this helps.

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Posted in ESL
Posted by:Kenjie Suarez

Ken currently lives in China working as an ESL teacher. When he is not teaching, he builds websites and writes blogs. He also helps teachers obtain a TESOL certificate and get a teaching job in China.

18 replies on “How To Link Your Chinese Bank Account and Card (UnionPay) To PayPal

  1. I tried this but it wouldn’t let me create the new account in China. What did you do about address? Chinese characters or pin yin?

  2. Thanks, Ken. This is very helpful as I am able to set up my account even one year later. Now to figure out the PayPal transfer to overseas. Cheers!

    1. Yes and no. It depends on how you identify the account you want to send to.

      For example, I have two accounts: same phone number, but different email addresses. When I try to send money, it asks me, “To which PayPal account?” If I enter the phone number, it says, “You can’t send money to yourself.” But if I enter the email address, the transaction is accepted.

  3. Thanks for the clear explanation , I succeeded to add my chinese bank account to my paypal in China, but I still cannot transfer money from that bank account to my paypal. I think its a currency problem because I cannot add RMB to my currency on paypal… I work in China and live in Philippines, does anybody know a solution? thanks, Jan

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