In May 2024, CITIC seized an early opportunity: it was the first to officially announce the Mastercard RMB-USD dual currency debit card, which is now referred to as the Mastercard RMB debit card.

Interestingly, CITIC directly labeled it as "The First in the Country," clearly aiming to take the first bite.

Well, I'll take the first bite too—let's open an account and give it a try.

Opening the Card

Applying for a CITIC debit card online is straightforward. For a debit card, simply go to the CITIC Bank APP homepage → All Services → Bank Card Supermarket to apply. The Mastercard Dual Currency Card you want to apply for is under the Standard Card Series. In the same category, there are also three CITIC UnionPay card types, as well as the American Express RMB card (which I've written about before), the Mastercard foreign currency card, and the VISA foreign currency card.

Click Apply for Card, and you'll be automatically redirected to the application form page. Then, just fill out the form as prompted on the page.

Opening the card will deduct 5 RMB, which will later be directly deposited into your account.

After filling out the form, just wait at home. You'll later receive a card like the one shown in the image below.

CITIC even gave this card its own packaging (I lost the packaging), which shows that CITIC at least invested in the design.

The BIN is 522401, and the validity period is only five years. However, CITIC does not require a branch visit for card replacement or renewal; you can do it in the APP by filling in the card number, CVV, and identity information. This means that, barring any other issues, you only need to visit a branch once after receiving this card.

Branch Activation

That one branch visit for activation was because I, the idiot, incorrectly entered the front-side numbers three times while replacing that Amex card, which resulted in a card lock. I mainly went to the branch for that reason, so this Mastercard card was activated at the counter as a side task. The staff didn't ask me much; they probably just copied the Amex information. Anyway, the card activation went smoothly.

Usage Experience

Binding to Google Play works normally. Binding to WeChat and Alipay works normally. Binding to Pixiv succeeded, but I haven't attempted any purchases. However, binding to PayPal was unsuccessful—still the same old issue of high decline rates.

Afterword

CITIC, your decline rate—I'm speechless. You actually did two good things.

Well, I guess I'll have to resort to some unconventional methods (wait for the follow-up post).