Can someone explain the steps to putting money from a phone card onto a mobile? My Chinese isn't good enough to understand the voice recording when I dial 10086. Once I actually got an English recording and was able to do it myself, but now they only speak Chinese.

I can't help you with the card thing but instead I recommend that you go into one of the payment offices and pay directly. Around Xiao Xi Men both Unicom and China Mobile have offices. You just go in, scribble your phone number on a piece of paper and hand over the cash. Takes about 30 seconds! Much easier than mucking around with those cards. I haven't used one in 4 years!

I can't help you with the card thing but instead I recommend that you go into one of the payment offices and pay directly. Around Xiao Xi Men both Unicom and China Mobile have offices. You just go in, scribble your phone number on a piece of paper and hand over the cash. Takes about 30 seconds! Much easier than mucking around with those cards. I haven't used one in 4 years!

for most of the phone recharging cards, there'd be a language choice at the beginning after u r put online (sometimes a brief ad too, u just have to wait for a while). Chinese would be the botton 1 and English would be the botton 2. Hope it helps.

sounds like you have an Yi Dong cell based on the number you're dialing. Mine is LianTong but I think the process is just about the same:

I dial 10012. It gives me some options for what I want to do. I press two for "Shouji Zhao Fei" (adding $ to cell).

It asks me to enter my "12 wei Ka hao" or 12 digit card number. You can find this on the card under 卡号.

It asks me to enter my "8 wei mi ma" or 8 digit password. Its the shorter scratch off number on the card.

It asks again what you want to do, I press one to confirm that i want to "zhao fei"

Then it asks whether I want to add the money to my current phone or to another phone number. I choose 1, "ben ji zhao fei," add the money to this phone.

then it reads you your phone number.

I have to press 1 to confirm "ben ji zhao fei" a final time

then it tells me to wait... and eventually says "zhao fei cheng gong" -- you successfully added $.

hope this helps, or at least you know what to listen for.

hi, if you come over to the Wen Lin street, just call me,and I can help you with the phone card things . 8121175, Pauline .I'm not local,but will stay here for a couple of months .and now living in the Cui Lake area . near "Chapter One " restaurant ( hope you know the place ) . My email : szwb126@126.com . Hope you all well .

1: you dial 10086
2: press 9 ( 9 is for recharging money)
3: if you want to recharge the money into your phone itself,press 0 ;instead, if you want to recharge for another number,press 1,then dial the number you want to recharge for,end with #
4:dial the password givin by the phone card,end with #
then you can hear the recording voice comfirming whether the recharging is done or not.

hope it helps ^_^