Did you make both payments within China without using a VPN ?
3 Answers
Don't use a VPN, as long as the website can be accessed, credit card payment is possible.
I suggest using a VPN to access blocked content. I booked a tour of the Vatican Gardens and when I didn't use a VPN, I could only see the schedule for 10 am. After using a VPN, the 9:30 am schedule appeared, so I quickly bought the earlier one.
Have you ever booked tickets abroad before?