What it means
Can I pay by card? 刷卡 literally means "swipe the card."
When to use it
Mobile payment (WeChat Pay, Alipay) dominates in China now, and many small vendors no longer take cards at all. 可以用微信吗？ (Can I use WeChat?) is often the more useful question.
What Chinese people actually say
Say this instead: 可以用微信吗？(kěyǐ yòng Wēixìn ma?)
Card payment is increasingly rare in mainland China. Mobile payment — WeChat Pay (微信支付) and Alipay (支付宝) — has taken over, and many small shops no longer own a card reader at all. If you don't have either app, cash still works, but expect the cashier to dig for change.
Examples
qǐng请wèn问，wǒ我kě可yǐ以shuā刷kǎ卡ma吗？
Excuse me, can I pay by card?
zhè这lǐ里kě可yǐ以shuā刷kǎ卡ma吗？
Can I use a card here?
bù不hǎo好yì意sī思，zhǐ只néng能fù付xiàn现jīn金。
Sorry, cash only.
The full set of survival phrases for greetings, dining, shopping, and getting around, each with audio.