UnionPay Overseas Tax Refund Volume Grew by Over 80% in the First Half of This Year

(Source: UnionPay International Co., Ltd.)

After shopping at the largest chain supermarket in Germany, DM, customers can claim for tax refund with UnionPay cards through the app of Safety Tax Free.

Chinese tourists who have visited Germany recently may find that after shopping at DM, the largest chain supermarket in Germany, they can claim for tax refund with UnionPay cards through the app of Safety Tax Free. Miss Cui, who works in a financial institution in Shanghai, said, “I can complete the tax refund procedure with this APP, and after having the form stamped by the Customs, I do not need to hand in the form at a tax refund counter. Instead, I only need to book a pick-up service after returning to China. Moreover, I can check about the progress at the app. I received the refund in my UnionPay card 3 days later and at a favorable exchange rate.”

This is an epitome for the increasingly convenient tax refund services provided by UnionPay. With UnionPay tax refund services become more diverse and card-users’ experience constantly improving, the UnionPay overseas tax refund volume grew by more than 80% in the first half of this year. Europe is a major region where cardholders use this service. The downtown tax refund offered by UnionPay International and Global Blue is particularly preferred by more purchasers.

Easy and Fast Tax Refund via Mobile Phones

At present, the UnionPay overseas tax refund service is available at more than 300,000 merchants across 38 countries and regions, including 31 European countries such as France, Germany, Italy and UK, as well as Argentina, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan. To claim for tax refund with UnionPay cards can avoid the lengthy waiting time and the complicated procedure of cash refund. The refund can be directly credited to UnionPay cards in the local currency without currency conversion fee.

With customers’ payment habits constantly change, more and more cardholders prefer to use mobile phones to claim for tax refund. As of this August, the partner merchants of Safety Tax Free in Germany have exceeded 150, including Mueller, LODEN-FREY and Wellendorff Boutique, and most of these merchants are equipped with devices to print out tax refund bills, which no longer need to be filled out by customers. This tax refund service will also be available at some renowned merchants in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

In Australia, UnionPay International has cooperated with Australian Customs in offering the app of TRS, which enables UnionPay cardholders to claim for tax refund online and then enjoy express tax refund service.

Downtown Tax Refund, the New Favorite

In Europe, a major tax refund region of Chinese tourists, UnionPay International also joins hands with Global Blue to upgrade tax refund services. Tourists can claim for tax refund at the specially-engaged merchants or the outlets of Global Blue at downtown, using UnionPay credit cards as guarantee, and directly get tax refund. The upgraded downtown tax refund is available in countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, UK, Norway, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Spain. Data show that, the number of UnionPay tax refund transactions in Europe increased by over 20% last month.

Customers are able to enjoy downtown tax refund service with UnionPay credit cards in Taiwan too. After spending over NTD 24,000 at a merchant, cardholders may claim for tax refund with UnionPay cards at Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A8, Pacific SOGO Zhongxiao and Kaohsiung Hanshin Department Store.

Moreover, UnionPay tax refund upon returning to China serves is another effective way to get tax refund fast and easy. After shopping specially engaged merchants of Premier Tax Free, Innova Tax Free, Tax Refund Service Srl, Travel Tax Free, Tax Free Germany and Tax Free Worldwide, Chinese customers can claim for tax refund at the outlets of United Money at airports or downtown of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, or use the “Online Tax Refund” function in the app of UnionPay International.