UnionPay International announced today that GM Cabs, one of Australia’s leading taxi payment facilitators, will fully support UnionPay payments including Mobile QuickPass. GM cabs has commenced rolling out UnionPay acceptance capability to its fleet of Eftpos devices, which will have full acceptance functionality including QuickPass, chip insert and swipe. Chinese tourists and students visiting Australia, as well as local Chinese residents, will enjoy a better payment experience when they catch a GM cab enabled taxi.

 

According to data from the Australian Tourism and Education Department, China has become Australia’s largest source of tourists and the number one source of international students. As the preferred payment brand for Chinese tourists and students in Australia, UnionPay is fully accepted at all major bank payment networks. Overall, 90% of ATMs and 80% of merchants support the use of UnionPay in Australia. Beginning this year, Australia’s Jetstar Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and the official website of Meriton, Oak, Hyatt and other hotel groups have accepted UnionPay Online Payment services, which makes it easier for cardholders to plan their trips in advance.

 

In answer to cardholders’ change of payment habits, UnionPay International continues to expand the acceptance of its mobile payment service, QuickPass, in Australia. To date, 60% of merchants in Australia accept UnionPay QuickPass. Also, during the Chinese National Day holiday (1st to 7th October) this year, the volume of transactions made with UnionPay QuickPass in Australia grew by over 2 times. The cooperation between UnionPay International and GM Cab has more than 8,000 taxi payment terminals accepting UnionPay QuickPass payment at the first stage, with a further 25,000 terminals to follow shortly. UnionPay cardholders are also able to book taxis via the “Rydo” mobile application.

 

UnionPay card acceptance in the South Pacific region has continued to increase. In New Zealand, almost 70% of merchants accept UnionPay cards, and more than 12,000 POS terminals support UnionPay QuickPass. Countdown, the largest supermarket brand in New Zealand, now fully accepts UnionPay cards and supports UnionPay QuickPass. Merchants such as gift shop Aotea Gifts and healthcare retailer Health Element have also enabled UnionPay QR code payment. In addition, UnionPay cards and UnionPay QuickPass payment is available amongst other South Pacific island countries, including Fiji and Papua New Guinea.