UnionPay International Launches Merchant Loyalty Program to Enhance User Experience Overseas

After building an extensive global acceptance network, UnionPay International is now attaching greater significance to cardholders’ experience at major merchants. The other day, UnionPay International held its first Merchant Conference in Singapore, which was attended by the senior management of over 20 renowned merchants, including Singapore Airlines, Woolworths from Australia, King Power from Thailand, Hertz and Expedia. At the Conference, UnionPay International Merchant Loyalty Program was officially launched.

According to the latest data, UnionPay cards are accepted at more than 22 million merchants outside mainland China as of the end of October. These merchants cover various types, including duty-free stores, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, transportation and entertainment establishments. In recent years, UnionPay International is accelerating the expansion of its mobile payment solutions at these merchants worldwide as a response to the change of customers’ payment habits. Today, UnionPay mobile QuickPass is accepted at over 600,000 POS terminals across 16 countries and regions outside the Chinese Mainland. And QuickPass-accepting POS terminals are expected to reach one million by the end of this year. Meanwhile, UnionPay QR code payment is accepted at merchants in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

Since this year, UnionPay International has launched Merchant Loyalty Program to carry out strategic cooperation with major merchants, offering innovative payment solutions, issuing co-branded cards, conducting joint promotions, sharing business statistics, and providing tailored benefits and services through its cross-border marketing platform U Plan. So far, more than 20 key merchants have joined UnionPay International Merchant Loyalty Program. These merchants are based in Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Italy and Canada, etc.

The launch of UnionPay International Merchant Loyalty Program is significant to all parties concerned. Firstly, merchants are able to optimize its UnionPay acceptance environment through putting on the UnionPay logo and training cashiers. They will also be able to accept various UnionPay innovative payment solutions while leveraging UnionPay’s resources to enhance brand awareness. Secondly, acquirers are able to enhance the loyalty of their merchants, and increase the transaction volume of UnionPay cards. Thirdly, cardholders are able to enjoy more convenient and preferential payment experiences at the participating merchants.

This Merchant Conference offers is a platform for merchants in different countries and regions, and of different types, to exchange ideas. The theme of this Conference is “Upgrade Consumption through Payment Innovation”. Many attendees said that retailers need to take the initiative to embrace payment innovation so as to offer better payment experiences to customers. Therefore, merchants are eager to explore cooperation opportunity in payment innovation with UnionPay.