Overseas travel has become quite common these days, and with the Spring Festival approaching, it's about to see another peak in travel activity. Multiple travel agencies have reported that as early as December last year, outbound travel packages for the Spring Festival were mostly sold out.
The popularity of overseas travel is driven partly by the improved living standards and people’s pursuit of higher quality lifestyles. Another reason is somewhat "situational." In China, popular tourist spots are typically overcrowded during holidays, making it hard to enjoy the scenery or relax. In contrast, traveling abroad isn’t affected by Chinese holidays, so the rise in outbound travel numbers is quite normal.
Xiao Shao, who works at a magazine in Beijing, is a typical example of someone escaping domestic tourism. A passionate traveler, he found it unbearable to deal with the crowds at Chinese attractions. Coupled with work requirements, he decided to explore international travel. What started as an occasional trip quickly became a regular annual plan—using his vacation days or public holidays to travel abroad every year.
In terms of income, Xiao Shao isn’t exactly wealthy. To both satisfy his passion for travel and keep his finances in check, he has developed his own money-saving tricks after years of trial and error.
One of his strategies is never to miss any group-buying deals or flash sales on overseas trips, but compared to those hit-or-miss opportunities, using a specialized credit card is his ultimate cost-saving trick.
“Many banks offer credit cards with attractive perks for overseas travel. For example, the dual-currency card I got from Industrial Bank last year gives me a 30 RMB Alipay cash voucher for every single overseas transaction over 1,000 RMB.” Xiao Shao knows all the ins and outs of credit card benefits. He also mentioned that the UnionPay card from Industrial Bank gives an even better reward—50 RMB for every 1,000 RMB spent, which is more than the dual-currency card. Meanwhile, if you use the Industrial Bank Platinum Credit Card and accumulate 50,000 RMB in spending within a single month, you can get a Shangri-La Hotel stay voucher worth 1,500 RMB. Only 100 vouchers are available per month, so act fast. Each person can receive up to three vouchers during the promotion period.
Xiao Shao calls himself a "card collector." His wallet contains a wide variety of credit cards from different banks, VISA, MasterCard, and various co-branded cards. “Don’t underestimate these little cards. While the discounts might not be huge, the amounts we spend overseas add up. Saving a bit here and there really makes a difference overall,” he said.
“Many people overlook credit card promotions, but based on my experience over the years, I think the main reason is that most people just don’t know how to use them properly. Once you figure out which card to use when and where, it becomes not only convenient but also really helps you save money.” Xiao Shao also shared that he plans to start a Weibo account focused on sharing overseas travel experiences, travel tips, and helping others find those useful “little cards” that make travel smoother—so everyone can enjoy their trips more.