The UnionPay App Effectively Meets the Needs Brought by the Construction of Greater Bay Area Since Its Launch in Hong Kong and Macau

Since its launch in Hong Kong and Macau in September, 2018, the UnionPay mobile application has enhanced the mobile payment experience of the local residents and effectively met the demands for payment convenience brought by the construction of Greater Bay Area. Therefore, it is well-received among local institutions, cardholders as well as merchants. So far, UnionPay cards issued by 20 institutions in Hong Kong and Macau can be bound to the UnionPay app, which is accepted at more than 12,000 merchants. The number of users and transaction volume of the app is increasing steadily and about one-quarter of its total transaction volume occurred in the Chinese Mainland.

An open platform providing multiple services to local customers

The UnionPay app offers an open platform that offers multiple services to Hong Kong and Macau customers. To date, 20 major local institutions, including Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of Communications (Hong Kong), Bank of China Macau Branch, Bank of East Asia and ICBC Asia have linked to the platform. UnionPay cardholders of these institutions are able to use their local mobile phone number to make registration, bind their UnionPay cards to the app, and then enjoy smooth mobile payment experience in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and other parts of the world.

In addition to providing financial payment functions such as offline QR code payment, online In-App payment, and management of multiple UnionPay accounts, the app also provides a variety of services such as credit card bonus points, Mainland mobile phone top-up and Mainland public utility payment tailored to the actual needs of Hong Kong and Macau residents. For example, Hong Kong and Macau residents who live and work in the Mainland can use the app to inquire about house-renting information in 20 cities; and UnionPay premium card holders in Hong Kong and Macau can use the app to reserve airport VIP lounges and rent portable WIFI devices.

Accepted in cross-border and local payment scenarios to meet the needs of constructing Greater Bay Area

The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area issued at the beginning of this year points out that it is necessary to “promote the interconnection and interoperability of electronic payment system in Greater Bay Area”. The launch of the UnionPay app in Hong Kong and Macau meets the needs brought by construction of Greater Bay Area for smooth cross-border transit payment, and cross-border public utility payment, etc. Taking cross-border transit sector as an example, the UnionPay app is already accepted by Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Bridge Shuttle Bus, Chu Kong Passenger Transport, Eternal East buses and trans-island buses. And Railway 12306, taxis in Shenzhen, buses in Guangzhou and other facilities have become the frequently-used transit scenarios for Hong Kong and Macau UnionPay app users in the Mainland. A Hong Kong netizen shared online that it is very convenient to use the UnionPay app to make payments for the high-speed rail ticket from Hong Kong to the Mainland bought on the 12306 mobile phone application.

Meanwhile, drawing on the experience of convenience-based mobile payment demonstration project launched by People’s Bank of China, UnionPay International continues to expand the acceptance of UnionPay app in small-sum frequently-used consumption scenarios in sectors like transit, catering and retail in Hong Kong and Macau. There are more than a thousand taxis in Hong Kong as well as lots of supermarkets, restaurants, bookstores that support the UnionPay app. In the future, UnionPay International will realize the app’s acceptance on many more buses and minibuses in Hong Kong, and cardholders will be able to take the MTR by making QR code payments via the app.

With UnionPay International accelerating its global layout of mobile payment services, UnionPay app users in Hong Kong and Macau can now make QR code payments at more than 10 million merchants in 29 countries and regions, covering fields of catering, accommodation, transit, travel, shopping and entertainment. Data show that besides using the app locally and in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau residents also prefer to use the app in Japan, Thailand, Australia and South Asia, etc.

Right now, UnionPay International is promoting more issuers in Hong Kong and Macau to connect to the UnionPay app so as to offer services to more local residents. It is also expanding the acceptance of the app by building barrier-free scenarios in Greater Bay Area. Furthermore, the experience of the localization of the UnionPay app in Hong Kong and Macau will lay a foundation for its launch in markets in Asia Pacific, Europe and Americas.