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UnionPay celebrates 20 years of dedicated services in Macao

UnionPay launched its service in the Macao Special Administrative Region on Sept 8, 2004, making Macao the second region to accept UnionPay cards outside the Chinese mainland. Over the past 20 years, UnionPay has always adhered to the original intent of "payment for the people", giving full play to its advantages in product innovation, service network and information technology. It has now grown into a popular payment brand among residents in Macao.

Since the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2019, UnionPay has been advancing the "soft connectivity" of financial payment in the Greater Bay Area at a faster pace to better support the economic, trade and personnel exchanges between the GBA and other regions. This "soft connectivity" includes financial services, rules and standards and is distinct from the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, such as transportation.

Local acceptance network

In Macao, with a land area of 33.3 square kilometers, people can experience the blending of Chinese and Western cultures and both a "fast "and "slow" pace of life. The "Union-Pay" tricolor logo is now ubiquitous in Macao, and can be found in tourist-packed attractions and bustling buses to supermarkets and convenience stores.

Since its cards became accepted in Macao in 2004, UnionPay has been improving the overall payment acceptance environment in Macao. UnionPay has established a Union-Pay card-based and mobile payment acceptance network that can simultaneously meet local, cross-boundary and cross-border payment needs. UnionPay cards are fully accepted in merchants' point of sale terminals and ATMs, covering various consumption scenarios such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, entertainment and travel. UnionPay is deeply integrated into people's daily lives in multiple scenarios and forms in Macao, providing local residents and tourists with convenient and high-quality payment experiences.

UnionPay International accelerated the development of related businesses to keep up with the increasing popularity of mobile payment in Macao. In 2019, UnionPay International took the lead in the launch of Apple Pay in Macao, enabling local cardholders to use Apple Pay for convenient online and offline payments and making UnionPay the first bank card organization to bring Macao Apple Pay.

UnionPay now covers all mobile payment scenarios for residents in Macao through in-depth collaboration with local partners. Consumers from the Chinese mainland and other regions can also bind UnionPay cards to mobile wallets such as UnionPay App, Huawei Pay and Apple Pay, and use their smartphones to pay for public transportation, food services and shopping.

In Macao, transportation is one of the distinctive service scenarios supported by UnionPay. UnionPay cards can be bound with seven mainstream local wallet products supporting Macao bus code scanning for payment. Macao residents can also use UnionPay cards and the UnionPay app to purchase light rail transit tickets. During their visit to Macao, Chinese mainland tourists can use the UnionPay app to scan QR codes and pay the fares of all buses operated by the two local bus companies.

Business localization

In September 2021, Bank of China Macau Branch and Sands China joined hands to issue the first co-branded UnionPay credit card targeting Macao residents, a few days after the release of the overall development plan for the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. In December 2024, UnionPay International announced a collaboration with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau) and New Yaohan in Macao to issue the ICBC New Yaohan UnionPay Dual Currency Diamond Card.

These cards can be used in the global UnionPay acceptance network and support various payment methods such as card swiping, code scanning, and "waving" smartphones, reflecting UnionPay International's efforts to accelerate business localization in Macao.

The first local UnionPay card was issued just a few months after UnionPay cards became accepted in Macao in 2004. Over the past two decades, UnionPay has made great efforts to enhance payment services for Macao residents.

By incorporating its product and technological advantages, UnionPay has improved payment service features, enriched payment service offerings and introduced a diverse service system covering "cards, QR codes and mobile Pay products".These services encompass multiple functions such as card swiping, code scanning and cash withdrawals, catering to both daily life, crossboundary and cross-border payments. They can be conveniently used in Macao, the Chinese mainland and the global UnionPay network.

In the GBA, UnionPay has become a large card brand by the number of cards issued. In Macao, UnionPay International has launched a variety of UnionPay card products together with commercial banks that are tailored to segmented customer groups. These include GBA Youth Card and Guangxi tourism-themed cards, offering diverse benefits and discounts to meet the various card utilization and consumption needs.

After the launch of its "Project Excellence 2024", UnionPay has encouraged local commercial banks to issue the Splendor Plus Card. The card integrates multiple payment functions such as card swiping, code scanning and mobile contactless payment, and comes with a wealth of benefits from merchants in the Chinese mainland. The card has been popular among Macao residents since its launch. In 2024, UnionPay cards issued in Macao have seen rapid growth in transaction volume in the Chinese mainland.

In line with the rapid development of mobile payment in Macao in the past few years, UnionPay International has been innovating collaboration models, working with partners to boost the development of Macao's mobile payment industry. Macao witnessed significant growth in mobile payment in 2018, which is called the "first year of mobile payment in Macao".

In the same year, the Hong Kong and Macao version of the UnionPay app was unveiled in Macao. Since then, UnionPay International has deepened cooperation with local commercial banks, payment institutions and other industry players to support the use of local wallets in the global UnionPay acceptance network by binding with UnionPay cards or issuing digital cards within the app.

Currently, various UnionPay-supported wallets, including the Hong Kong and Macao version of the UnionPay app, Bank of China Macau Mobile Banking, ICBC Macau e-Payment and Tai Fung Pay, are available in Macao, significantly enhancing the local, cross-boundary and cross-border mobile payment experience of local residents. Union-Pay's mobile payment services have become familiar and popular payment tools among local residents.

Payment in GBA

Amid the development of the Greater Bay Area, there has been a rise in the number of personal exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Macao, and Macao has enjoyed more diversified economic development. UnionPay has further deepened innovation and cooperation in the financial payment sector across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, accelerating regional economic development and benefiting local people.

Every weekend, vehicles heading north from Macao travel through the streets near the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge toward the boundary. A man surnamed Zhou, who often drives to Guangzhou for travel, said: "By binding a Macao-issued UnionPay card with the ETC system, I can quickly pay to use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, highways, and parking lots. Traveling to the Chinese mainland has become much more convenient."

UnionPay's mobile travel services have been upgraded along with Macao's accelerated integration into the GBA. UnionPay International has partnered with E-Serve to support the binding of UnionPay cards with the ETC system for "Northbound Travel for Macao Vehicles". It allows vehicles that enter Guangdong province from Macao to quickly traverse the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and highways in Guangdong by using the UnionPay app, and allows drivers to enjoy contactless payment for parking facilities in Guangdong. Additionally, Macao residents can also pay for bus fares in Zhuhai by scanning a QR code in their local wallets.

With a focus on key entry ports, high-speed railway stations and airports in Hong Kong and Macao, UnionPay International has expanded its acceptance coverage in various consumption scenarios. Regarding high-frequency consumption scenarios such as food services, supermarkets, department stores and cultural tourism, Union-Pay has targeted merchants in the GBA to ensure the smooth acceptance of UnionPay payment services. UnionPay has joined hands with merchants to offer high-quality consumer benefits and provided convenience for residents with "northbound travel plans".

UnionPay continues to enhance its service quality to facilitate payment for medical services and bills, making it more worry-free, comfortable and heartwarming for Macao residents in the Chinese mainland. The Hong Kong and Macao version of the UnionPay app can now show medical insurance e-certificates, supporting the medical treatment of Macao residents in Guangdong.

Residents and enterprises in Macao can also pay for tuition fees, social security and taxes in the Chinese mainland with locally issued UnionPay cards or the Hong Kong and Macao version of the UnionPay app.