Artificial intelligence (AI) tokens, once a term known only to tech experts, are now becoming part of everyday life in China. These tokens are units of computing power used by AI models to process text, such as when a user asks a question or gives an instruction. As AI models break down these inputs into smaller pieces—called tokens—they generate responses. In recent years, businesses across China, from banks to cafes and telecom companies, have started offering AI tokens as incentives to attract customers. Some sell them like mobile data plans, while others give them out as rewards or even as free Wi-Fi alternatives. Daily AI token usage in China has skyrocketed, reaching 500 trillion in mid-2026, up from just 100 billion in early 2024. This rapid growth has made token pricing a key battleground in the global AI race. Chinese companies, though often behind U.S. competitors in terms of cutting-edge performance, offer significantly cheaper tokens—60% to 90% less than models from OpenAI and Anthropic. These lower costs allow Chinese businesses to explore creative ways to package and market tokens to everyday consumers, experimenting with new models of AI commercialization. AI tokens are being integrated into financial products in innovative ways. In July 2026, Moonshot AI, a Chinese AI startup, launched a credit card named after its model, Kimi, in partnership with the Agricultural Bank of China and American Express. Users earn Kimi AI tokens and other computing credits based on their spending, similar to how credit cards reward users with airline miles or cashback. Earlier in the year, China Merchants Bank introduced a credit card for AI developers, offering up to 1.8 billion tokens for use on the MiniMax AI platform. Similarly, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank launched a card that provides subsidies worth up to 3 billion tokens for Alibaba’s Qwen models, a major AI system used by the e-commerce giant Alibaba. Telecom companies are also getting in on the trend, offering AI tokens much like mobile data plans. China Telecom, for example, sells consumer plans starting at 9.9 yuan (about $1.40) per month for 10 million tokens, with larger packages for heavy users. China Mobile offers 400,000 tokens for just 1 yuan (about 14 cents) in Shanghai, while China Unicom provides monthly plans ranging from 15 yuan (about $2.10) for 6 million tokens to 45 yuan (about $6.30) for 18 million tokens for business users. These efforts reflect a broader shift by telecom providers to move beyond traditional connectivity and into AI-powered services. Beyond financial and telecom sectors, AI tokens are being used as free incentives in restaurants, cafes, and bars. In Beijing, AGI Bar offers unlimited access to the DeepSeek V4 Flash AI model to customers who buy a drink and connect to its Wi-Fi. Nearby, Jingu Yuan dumpling restaurant gives diners 10 yuan (about $1.40) worth of computing credits after a meal. In Changsha, a new 24-hour coffee shop is also using AI tokens as part of its promotional strategy, offering them with every coffee purchase. These examples highlight how AI tokens are becoming a unique and popular way to attract and engage customers in everyday settings.