UnionPay International expands acceptance footprint in overseas transportation

(Source: Internet)

During this summer, more and more Chinese tourists favor free-and-independent travels and in-depth travels, and families with children prefer the more flexible self-driving travels. UnionPay International announced a piece of good news today that POS terminals at all the outlets of Thrifty, one of the three major car rental companies in New Zealand, accept UnionPay cards (card number starting with 62). These outlets mainly locate in the local airports and scenic spots. This is the first time that UnionPay card payment has been supported by car rental companies in New Zealand.

With an increasing number of Chinese people prefer independent travel to package tour, self-driving traveling is booming. According to a report on outbound self-driving tours jointly released by mafengwo.cn (a leading independent travel service platform in China) and zuzuChe.com (a leading car rental website), the Chinese outbound self-driving tourists increased by 130% year on year in 2015. The popular destinations are the US, Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Thailand, and New Zealand, and Thailand is regarded as the “self-driving holy land nearest to China”.

To follow this trend, UnionPay International is strengthening its cooperation with overseas car rental companies. In Thailand, UnionPay cards are accepted at all the outlets of AVIS, Burget, Hertz, and Thai Rent a Car, taking up 60% of the local car rental market. In Japan, all the car-rental outlets of Nissan Rent-a-car and ORIX Rent-a-car as well as Nippon Rent-a-car in Kyushu accept UnionPay cards. In Taiwan, cardholders can pay with UnionPay card at all the outlets of AVIS, Hotai Leasing Corporation, and U.First. In addition, the outlets of Hertz in the US and AVIS in the UAE also support UnionPay cards.

Besides car rental, UnionPay cards also support a variety of transportation payment overseas. First, taxis and public transport. Now, most taxis in Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia accept UnionPay cards. The two major taxi companies in Japan, Tokyo Wireless and Checker Cab, fully accept UnionPay cards. UnionPay mobile QuickPass is accepted by all the buses in Macau. Second, trains. Tourists can purchase Eurail passes and THSRC tickets online with UnionPay card to arrange their trips in advance. They can also pay with UnionPay cards on THSRC and TRA.

Now, UnionPay card has become a favored payment option by Chinese outbound tourists. UnionPay has expanded its acceptance footprint to 160 countries and regions, covering all the popular tourist destinations. About 18 million merchant locations and 1.3 million ATMs overseas accept UnionPay cards, and it is increasingly convenient to use UnionPay cards for shopping, sightseeing, transportation, and daily spending.

In the “50 selected travel destinations” special-offer project launched by UnionPay International early this month, many popular car rental companies are selected to provide exclusive offers. Now, cardholders can enjoy up to 50%-off for car rental with UnionPay card at Hertz in the U.S. and Thailand and Budget in Thailand, up to 35%-off at AVIS in Taiwan, 15%-off for GroundLink pick-up service in the US, up to $7-off for first trip with Uber in 8 African countries, and exclusive offers for airport pickup and car booking service with Hotai Leasing Corporation in Taiwan.

With UnionPay cards, cardholders can take Seoul City Tour Bus free of charge, and enjoy exclusive offers and discounts when buying city tour bus tickets in Singapore, Paris, Dubai and St. Petersburg.