SHANGHAI, Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent report jointly issue by the China Tourism Academy and Ctrip.com, tourists traveling abroad during this summer may account for 1/5 of all Chinese outbound tourists year round. These tourists are able to enjoy payment convenience offered by UnionPay via its acceptance network across 170 countries and regions, covering more than 25 million merchants and 1.7 million ATMs.
With the continuous expansion of UnionPay's acceptance network online, it is more convenient for cardholders to make online reservation. From January to July this year, UnionPay's transaction volume at major OTA websites increased by more than three times. UnionPay Online Payment is available on official websites of 69 international airlines.
UnionPay's acceptance network continues to expand
A Chinese tourist recently posted on his blog about his travel experience in Japan last month, and mentioned that he paid for taxi fare with his UnionPay card on Miyako Island. So far, UnionPay is accepted not only in traditionally popular travel destinations such as Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Europe, America and Australia, but also in emerging travel destinations such as Central Asia, Africa and Latin America. UnionPay is available at duty-free shops, specialty stores, tourist attractions, as well as restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, gas stations, transportation tools and entertainment establishments.
Taking the transportation sector as an example, UnionPay is accepted at taxis in 12 countries and regions outside mainland China, including Singapore, Japan, the United States, and the UAE. Among them, almost all taxis in Australia and New Zealand accept UnionPay cards. Tourists may also use UnionPay cards to buy tickets on Amtrak, the major passenger railroad service in the United States, metros in Russia, and all the buses in Macau.
This summer, self-driving tourists can also use UnionPay cards to pay for car rentals at popular destinations. So far, UnionPay is accepted at all of Hertz's stores in the United States, Thailand and Australia. Other major car rental brands such as Thrifty, Budget, AVIS and Ace have also accepted UnionPay cards.
Online travel booking with UnionPay cards becomes popular
With the rapid expansion of the acceptance of UnionPay cards at travel booking online merchants such as airlines, hotels and OTAs, it is much more convenient for Chinese outbound tourists to make reservations online. Cardholders can now book hotel rooms, airline tickets and travel programs at websites including Agoda, Booking, Expedia, Travelzoo, and Australia iTrip. The official website of the six major hotel groups such as the Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, and Four Seasons also accept UnionPay cards.
Previously, UnionPay is already accepted for flight booking at the website of airlines including United Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and All Nippon Airways, etc. This year, about 10 more airlines such as Russian Airlines, Jetstar Airlines, Singapore Cool Air and Taiwan Evergreen Airlines have started accepting UnionPay. Tourists may log on to the official website of these airlines and select "UnionPay Card" as their payment option to complete payment via UnionPay Online Payment. Some airlines also provide webpages in the Chinese language.
Cardholders can enjoy abundant benefits this summer
Since its launch, the "Global Travel Season" summer campaign is widely embraced by tourists because of its wide scope, substantial discounts and popular participating merchants. As of this October, tourists are able to enjoy unique benefits and privileges in 70 popular tourist destinations in more than 40 countries and regions. For example, cardholders may enjoy discounts at famous museums including the Metropolitan Museum in the United States. Royal Caribbean Cruises offer special privileges to UnionPay cardholders, and Legoland Malaysia, San Francisco Bay Aquarium and other theme parks are also offering UnionPay cardholders discounts.
Moreover, UnionPay Tax Refund service is available at more than 300,000 merchants in 44 countries and regions outside mainland China. The tax is directly refunded to the UnionPay card designated by the cardholder in RMB without the need for currency conversion and saves tourists' time. Besides the traditional tax refund at airports, cardholders may also get Early Tax Refunds in 14 countries and regions, which helps UnionPay cardholders receive refunds immediately after shopping.
