Access to neural networks is becoming a basic consumer commodity. Chinese banks are awarding computing power for card purchases, telecom operators are selling it in data plans, and cafes are handing out tokens alongside Wi-Fi access.
Chinese businesses have started using AI tokens as a mass customer acquisition tool. According to Rest of World, daily token consumption in the country grew from 100 billion in early 2024 to 500 trillion by mid-2026. A sharp drop in computing costs has allowed companies to package access to neural network models into formats everyday consumers understand.
AI cashback and neural network data plans
In the summer of 2026, China’s financial sector began integrating tokens into card products. In July, startup Moonshot AI partnered with Agricultural Bank of China and American Express to issue the Kimi credit card. For everyday spending, clients receive tokens for artificial intelligence tasks and quotas for using AI agents instead of traditional miles or cash.
Banks are also launching specialized products for the IT segment. In June, China Merchants Bank introduced a credit card for developers with a welcome bonus of up to 1.8 billion tokens for startup MiniMax’s models. Shanghai Pudong Development Bank launched a separate product: its card offers subsidies of up to 3 billion tokens to work with Alibaba’s Qwen models.
The country’s largest telecom operators have equated neural networks with mobile internet. China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom introduced data plans that sell computing power in bundles. A basic China Telecom plan with 10 million included tokens costs a user about $1.40 a month, with the payment deducted directly from their mobile phone account.
Tokens for coffee and credit scoring
The trend has expanded beyond the financial and technology sectors. In Beijing, the AGI bar provides patrons with unlimited access to the DeepSeek V4 Flash model when they buy a drink and connect to the local Wi-Fi. Other food service establishments, such as the Jingu Yuan restaurant, hand out computing power vouchers with food orders.
A secondary market has formed in parallel: on the Xianyu platform, users resell surplus tokens to students and small businesses as daily passes or subscriptions.
Banks have also found a use for tokens in the corporate segment. In Guangzhou, financial institutions including Bank of China and China CITIC Bank are testing a new credit product for startups: the “token loan.” Banks evaluate a company’s token generation and consumption volumes to determine its activity level and make lending decisions. For young technology companies, this replaces traditional physical asset valuation.
Computing power is turning into an accessible consumer currency, replacing traditional loyalty programs.