UnionPay International announced today that in Hong Kong and Macau, issuers like Bank of East Asia, ICBC Asia and Shanghai Commercial Bank have recently enabled their UnionPay cards to be bound to the UnionPay app. Currently, consumers in Hong Kong and Macau are now able to bind their UnionPay cards issued by 15 issuers to the UnionPay mobile application, and then pay by scanning UnionPay QR codes at more than 10,000 local merchant locations. With the continuous expansion of its service scope, the UnionPay app is gaining popularity among Hong Kong and Macau consumers: the transaction volume via the app increased about 2 times last month.

In order to meet the cross-border payment demands brought by the construction of the Great Bay Area, UnionPay International has updated its UnionPay app to offer mobile payment services to Hong Kong and Macau consumers last September. Hong Kong and Macau consumers can download the app and bind their locally-issued UnionPay cards to the app, and then enjoy cross-border mobile payment service both locally and overseas. Now, UnionPay cards issued by the majority of the major card issuers in Hong Kong and Macau, such as Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of Communications (Hong Kong),and Bank of China Macau Branch, can be bound to the app.

With the launch of the UnionPay app in Hong Kong and Macau, UnionPay International has continued to expand the acceptance scope of the app in Hong Kong and Macau, taking into consideration the payment needs of both local consumers and tourists from the Mainland. UnionPay International has first enabled many daily consumption merchants to accept the app, covering fields of F&B, retail, transportation, etc. Brands that accept the UnionPay app include Tai Hing, Chow Tai Fook, Broadway Lifestyle, Commercial Press, Pricerite, Sasa, Wai Yuen Tong, Ajisen Ramen and etc.

The UnionPay app is being accepted at more merchants in Hong Kong and Macau, and it is particularly easy to pay with the app in fields of public transportation and catering. To date, the UnionPay app is accepted by hundreds of taxis in Hong Kong; and this figure is expected to reach several thousand in 2019. UnionPay International has also reached cooperation with the MTR: consumers will be able to scan QR codes via the UnionPay app to take the metro. In the catering field, the over 400 food stalls of the 18th Macau Food Festival all accepted the UnionPay app. In the upcoming Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair in Hong Kong, the UnionPay app will be the only digital payment option accepted by many food stalls with special offers.

The UnionPay app not only meets the daily payment demands of Hong Kong and Macau consumers, but has also become an important cross-border payment option for Hong Kong and Macau residents. UnionPay QR code payment and mobile QuickPass services are now accepted in 46 countries and regions. The data shows that Hong Kong and Macau residents like to use the UnionPay app in the Mainland, especially in high-speed rail ticket purchase, mobile phone top-up, flight ticket and hotel booking, and catering. Some Hong Kong and Macau consumers also use the UnionPay app while traveling to Japan and Thailand.

Since today, UnionPay International has launched special offers to further enhance the payment experience of the app users. To January 31, newly-registered users from Hong Kong and Macau will get a 88 RMB bonus after successfully binding card and making a purchase. Many well-known merchants in Hong Kong also provide “HKD 20 discount for spending HKD 30”.