信用卡
credit card
xìnyòngkǎ
What does 信用卡 mean?
信用卡 (xìnyòngkǎ) is the standard Chinese word for a credit card — the kind issued by a bank that lets you borrow money to pay and settle the bill later. It is a compound of 信用 'credit, trust' + 卡 'card', so the literal sense is 'trust card'. The term is neutral and works in shops, banks, apps, and customer-service calls alike.
Two things often surprise English speakers. First, 信用卡 refers ONLY to true credit cards; a debit card is 借记卡 (jièjìkǎ) or 储蓄卡 (chǔxùkǎ), and the two are not interchangeable. Second, in mainland China most everyday payments now go through 支付宝 or 微信, so 信用卡 is more associated with travel, big purchases, or building a credit record than with day-to-day spending.
Character breakdown
trust; credit; letter
use
card
Memory hook: 信用 (trust-use) + 卡 (card) = the card the bank gives you when it trusts you to pay later.
Measure word for 信用卡
Example sentences
你有信用卡吗？
Nǐ yǒu xìnyòngkǎ ma?
Do you have a credit card?
spoken
我想用信用卡付钱。
Wǒ xiǎng yòng xìnyòngkǎ fù qián.
I'd like to pay by credit card.
spoken
这家店不能刷信用卡。
Zhè jiā diàn bù néng shuā xìnyòngkǎ.
This shop doesn't take credit cards.
neutral
我昨天在银行办了一张信用卡。
Wǒ zuótiān zài yínháng bàn le yì zhāng xìnyòngkǎ.
I applied for a credit card at the bank yesterday.
neutral
请输入您的信用卡号。
Qǐng shūrù nín de xìnyòngkǎ hào.
Please enter your credit card number.
polite, written
Common phrases with 信用卡
Synonyms
银行卡 is the umbrella term for any bank-issued card, including both credit and debit cards. Use 信用卡 only when you specifically mean a credit card.
Don't confuse 信用卡 with
借记卡 is a debit card — it draws directly from your bank balance. 信用卡 borrows money you pay back later. Mixing them up at a counter can mean your transaction is declined.
信用 on its own means 'credit / trustworthiness' as a quality (e.g. 信用很好 'good credit'). 信用卡 is the physical card.
会员卡 is a membership / loyalty card from a shop. 信用卡 is a financial product from a bank.