UnionPay International launches mobile app in Hong Kong and Macau

UnionPay has launched a new mobile app (September 2018) which will facilitate mobile payments in the Greater Bay Area for both Hong Kong and Macau UnionPay cardholders. This is a new service for customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

This new app provides local customers with mobile payment services in the Greater Bay Area, including payment for cross-border transportation, cross-border utility payments and daily consumption purposes. And, it is a convenient payment system for Hong Kong and Macau residents who visit Mainland China. Customers now have a mobile payment solution that is cross-border interoperable, secure, and offers various discounts and privileges.

Initially, the service covers UnionPay cards issued by six institutions – Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of Communications Hong Kong Branch, K & R International Limited, Bank of China Macau Branch, Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) and Guangdong Development Bank Limited, Macau Branch.

Yang Wenming, Deputy Inspector of Department of Economic Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R., Howard LEE, JP, Deputy Chief Executive of Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Cai Jianbo, CEO of UnionPay International, and representatives of banks and financial institutions from Hong Kong and Macau attended the launching ceremony

Benefits of the new Union Pay app include:

-an open platform; customers with UnionPay cards can link their cards with the app this month ( see applicable banks above). The app will support UnionPay cards issued by most local banks in Hong Kong and Macau by the end of the year.

-Hong Kong and Macau residents  can use the app to make QR code payments and In-App payments locally and cross-border.

-the app is accepted in multiple online and offline fields, covering F&B, accommodation, transportation, shopping, etc.

– it integrates special services offered by the banks and users can enjoy credit card bonus points.

UnionPay has also been working to solve cross-border payment issues. In the transportation sector, contactless payment is accepted at the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity High-Speed Rail, the city subway in Guangzhou and Dongguan, taxis and tunnels in Hong Kong, most parking lots and all the bus lines in Macau with the card. Cross-border buses and ferries between Hong Kong and the Mainland accept UnionPay cards both online and offline for purchasing tickets. In the future, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed rail Hong Kong section will also support these payment services.

Currently about 40,000 POS terminals in Hong Kong and Macau accept UnionPay mobile QuickPass, and this service will be available at all local contactless-accepting merchants this year. Merchants in Hong Kong and Macau accept UnionPay QR code payment, and UnionPay QR code payment will be available at over 10,000 more merchants in Hong Kong and Macau before the end of this year. In Guangdong and Shenzhen, about 80% of merchants accept UnionPay mobile payment service. In mainland China, UnionPay QR Code payment is accepted at 7.5 million merchants, and UnionPay mobile QuickPass is available at over 10 million POS terminals. In addition, UnionPay mobile payment is accepted in 41 countries and regions worldwide.

Source: UnionPay International