Chinese businesses are integrating AI tokens into consumer rewards, treating them like mobile data plans or credit card cashback. Daily token consumption in China reached 500 trillion in mid-2026, up from 100 billion in early 2024.
Financial institutions are leading the trend. In June, China Merchants Bank introduced a credit card offering up to 1.8 billion tokens for MiniMax models. Shanghai Pudong Development Bank provides up to 3 billion tokens for Alibaba Qwen models, while Moonshot AI partnered with Agricultural Bank of China and American Express for a Kimi-branded card.
Telecom operators have shifted to AI-based service models. China Telecom offers plans starting at ¥9.9 per month for 10 million tokens. China Mobile charges ¥1 for 400,000 tokens, and China Unicom provides monthly packages ranging from ¥15 for 6 million tokens to ¥45 for 18 million tokens.
Retailers are also using AI access as a marketing tool. Beijing’s AGI Bar provides unlimited DeepSeek V4 Flash access with drink purchases, while the Jingu Yuan dumpling restaurant issues vouchers worth ¥10 in computing credits. Similar promotions are appearing in coffee shops and on the Xianyu marketplace.
Local authorities are testing new financial metrics for AI startups. In Guangzhou’s Haizhu district, banks including Bank of China and China CITIC Bank launched a token loan product in August, using a company's token production and consumption data to determine credit eligibility.