My bank card got swallowed by an ATM in Beijing. Getting it back took 3 days and a lot of patience.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend from Brazil was withdrawing cash from a Bank of China ATM in Beijing. The machine made a strange noise. Then the screen went black.

His card was inside. The machine was dead.

The panic:

It was Saturday afternoon. The bank was closed.

He called the emergency number on the ATM. It went to voicemail.

He called his bank in Brazil. They couldn't help — the card was physically stuck in a machine in China.

He stood in front of the ATM for 20 minutes hoping it would magically eject his card. It didn't.

What to do when an ATM eats your card:

1. Don't panic.
The card is usually retrievable. It's not shredded.

2. Note the exact ATM location.
Bank name, branch address, ATM number (usually on a sticker). Take a photo.

3. Call the bank's 24-hour hotline.
• Bank of China: 95566
• ICBC: 95588
• China Construction Bank: 95533
• Explain what happened. They'll log it.

4. Go to the branch during business hours.
Bring your passport. The ATM cards are collected daily and stored at the branch.

5. If the branch doesn't have it yet, wait.
Cards from weekend ATMs are usually collected Monday morning.

My friend's timeline:

• Saturday 3 PM: Card swallowed
• Saturday 4 PM: Called 95566. They logged it.
• Sunday: Waited.
• Monday 9 AM: Went to the branch with his passport.
• Monday 9:30 AM: They found his card in the weekend collection.
• Monday 9:45 AM: Card returned after verifying his identity.

Total time: 3 days. No fees. No drama.

Prevention:

• Use ATMs attached to open bank branches when possible.
• Avoid standalone ATMs in remote areas.
• If the machine looks old or damaged, use a different one.
• Don't use ATMs on Friday afternoons or weekends if you can avoid it.

If the card is from a foreign bank:

• The process is the same — bring your passport.
• They don't care which bank issued the card.
• But: if your card gets damaged inside the machine, getting a replacement from your home bank takes weeks.

My Brazilian friend's lesson:

"I thought my card was gone forever. I was ready to cancel it and wait 2 weeks for a replacement. Turns out Chinese banks deal with swallowed cards every day. They had a whole drawer of them. Mine was in there, alphabetized by ATM number."

Anyone else had an ATM eat their card in China?