Premier Tax Free has signed an agreement with UnionPay International to facilitate tax refunds for UnionPay cardholders across 27 countries.

 

The partners are particularly targeting Chinese tourists. The digital solution aims to provide “an enhanced shopping experience and bring added value for merchants looking to cater to this lucrative market,” according to Fintrax (parent company of Premier Tax Free) Director of Group Strategic Partnerships & New Markets Gary Byrne.

 

“We are committed to creating a seamless experience for international shoppers which aligns with their changing needs. A recent study from Nielsen found over three in five (65%) Chinese tourists use mobile payments while shopping overseas, compared to just 11% of non-Chinese tourists,” he said.

 

“Therefore, smooth and convenient shopping experiences for users are increasingly important. By partnering with UnionPay, we are able to facilitate this alongside added benefits for both shoppers and retailers.”

 

Over 7 billion UnionPay cards are issued at 48 countries and regions to date, which are accepted in 168 countries and at 51 million locations.

 

UnionPay International Product Director Shuan Philip Ghaidan commented: “UnionPay is committed to making tax free refund services easier and more streamlined for tourists. As we see outbound tourists increase, there is greater demand for services to be fully optimised to mobile devices. For example, we can make good use of Quickpass App to enhance the tax refund service to be more manageable and convenient for UnionPay cardholders.

 

“Furthermore, we believe that the partnership with Premier Tax Free aligns with our strategy of continually delivering a better shopping experience for these cardholders and meet their ever-changing shopping expectations.

 

“In the future, UnionPay will keep co-operating with Fintrax to provide more benefits and user-friendly financial services to cardholders as well as retailers.”