Over 20 million merchants outside mainland China accept UnionPay
2017-03-14

The latest data show that more than 20 million merchants and over 1.3 million ATMs in markets outside mainland China accept UnionPay cards. These merchants and ATMs are located across 160 countries and regions. UnionPay cards have become a commonly used payment method for Chinese outbound tourists. Moreover, more than 10 million online merchants based outside the Chinese mainland support UnionPay Online Payment.

Now, UnionPay International not only offers payment services to the Chinese tourists but also global travellers. When improving its acceptance environment, UnionPay International is taking the preferences and payment habits of overseas customers into consideration. In other words, UnionPay is providing secure and convenient payment services for various groups of cardholders.

Drawing a “Global Consumption Map” for cardholders

Data show that, about three million more merchants were enabled to accept UnionPay each year over the past three years. At present, UnionPay has realized 100% acceptance in Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia and UAE. In Northeast and Southeast Asia, over 70% of the merchants accept UnionPay. In Europe and America, the use scope of UnionPay cards keeps expanding: more than 80% of merchants in the US accept UnionPay credit cards, while half of the merchants accepting bank cards in Europe accept UnionPay.

With over 70 million UnionPay cards issued in 40 overseas countries and regions, more types of merchants are accepting UnionPay cards. These merchants not only include places frequented by tourists, such as duty-free stores, shopping centers and hotels, but also include feature restaurants, entertainment establishments and public transports. For instance, 90% of chain convenience stores in Japan accept UnionPay. In Singapore, cardholders can pay with UnionPay cards at supermarkets, cinemas, gas stations and in taxies. The UnionPay network outside mainland China not only meets the payment demands of cardholders visiting these markets, but also delivers convenient daily payment services to local residents where UnionPay cards are issued.

Besides the continuous improvement of UnionPay’s offline acceptance network, UnionPay is also accepted by over 10 million online merchants based outside mainland China. These merchants not only meet cardholders’ cross-border purchasing demands, but also provide featured services in fields like airline ticket booking and tuition payment. Therefore, UnionPay’s service has covered all the aspects of customers’ travels, including ticket and hotel booking, flexible payment, exclusive privileges and discounts, and tax refund service.

Building an acceptance network that offers refined services

Now, UnionPay International is further improving its acceptance network. Firstly, it continues to expand its offline and online acceptance footprint and enrich its card-using scenarios. Secondly, it is building core business districts in markets outside mainland China, and is optimizing card-using experiences by improving acceptance quality, increasing the visibility of UnionPay logo, and carrying out marketing campaigns. Thirdly, it is accelerating the chip migration of its acceptance network, and is promoting issuers to issue UnionPay chip cards. Fourthly, it is rolling out UnionPay mobile QuickPass so as to satisfy purchasers’ demands for flexible and secure payment service.

So far, UnionPay International has built 90 core business districts at major tourist attractions, shopping centers and airports in the US, Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In these districts, UnionPay’s merchant coverage is over 70%, the UnionPay logo is easily found, and exclusive privileges such as VIP lounge and Chinese-speaking shopping assistants are offered for UnionPay cardholders.

In addition, over 400,000 POS terminals in markets like Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, UAE and Canada accept mobile QuickPass. This figure will continue to increase rapidly this year. Customers can use UnionPay chip cards with “QuickPass” signage and QuickPass-enabled smartphones to pay at these POS terminals.

Company News