UnionPay International Expands European Network, Making Summer Travel on the Continent More Convenient for UnionPay Cardholders
MADRID, July 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — UnionPay International (“UPI” or “the Company”) has been continuing its rapid expansion in the European market with 90% of countries and regions in Europe, and all Schengen countries, already supporting UnionPay cards. The point of sale (POS) acceptance coverage rate of UnionPay card merchants in the region has climbed to 80% and the Company’s continued expansion makes life even more convenient for UnionPay cardholders visiting Europe this summer who are reminded to bind their UnionPay cards to their mobile phones for a quick payment and efficient travel experience in popular tourist destinations such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Hungary, among many others.
UnionPay International has also promoted more than 6 million European merchant POS to support UnionPay QuickPass. Tourists can conveniently add their UnionPay cards to mobile wallets such as Huawei Pay and Apple Pay to easily tap their card or simply “wave” their mobile phone to pay for products and services. Multiple well-known department stores and shopping villages in Europe have also started to support UnionPay QR codes, which is highly attractive for Asia-Pacific tourists who are used to scanning codes to pay in their home countries.
In rich cultural heritage destinations such as Italy, Greece, and Spain, the acceptance coverage of UnionPay cards has reached 85%, 80%, and 90% respectively, and the now almost ubiquitous UnionPay logo can also be seen in major tourist landmarks such as the London Eye, Eiffel Tower, and the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
UPI has categorized cross-border, intercity, and local travel scenarios to optimize the experience of using UnionPay cards for food, accommodation, transportation, travel, entertainment, and shopping. The UnionPay card experience at merchants in European hub airports such as Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, and Heathrow, continues to improve with over 90 international airlines and online travel agencies (OTA) platforms such as Trip.com supporting UnionPay card ticket purchases. UnionPay cards can also be used to conveniently take national railways or urban transportation in Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Hungary, and other places.
UnionPay International also gives full play to its own resource integration capabilities and works with all parties to provide pan-European tourists with a wealth of benefits. In 44 countries and regions, UnionPay cards can be widely used for tax refunds, shopping mall discounts, and multiple major European airports now also support the UnionPay App or QR code refunds. Tourists traveling to 20 countries and regions including the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Italy, among others, can enjoy preferential exchange rates for all in-country purchases after registering on the UnionPay App, making the outbound tourism consumption experience significantly more affordable.
The issuance of UnionPay cards outside China has surpassed 240 million, with cardholders spanning 82 countries, including over 10 European nations such as Spain and Serbia. This summer, countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and those in Southeast Asia, have launched local UnionPay card products to facilitate convenient payments for European travel. Embracing the digital transformation in the payment industry, UnionPay offers mobile payment services globally. Currently, there are about 200 UnionPay collaborative wallets internationally, potentially reaching over 600 million users. Diverse UnionPay card payment products, including “card, QR code, and QuickPass,” are cross-border compatible and have become a popular payment method for pan-European tourism.
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