UnionPay International Teams Up with Weixin Pay to Simplify Payments for Foreign Visitors to Mainland China

UnionPay International Partners with Weixin Pay for International Mobile Payments

On December 17, 2024, UnionPay International announced an exciting new collaboration with Weixin Pay aimed at simplifying mobile payment options for foreign visitors in mainland China. This innovative partnership will allow users of various international UnionPay wallets to make payments through Weixin Pay by scanning QR codes, significantly enhancing the payment experience for travelers.

The new functionality is currently available through eight different wallets, including BoC Pay from the Bank of China (Hong Kong), Octopus, PayMe by HSBC, and Tap Go in Hong Kong; Bangkok Bank Mobile Banking and K PLUS from KASIKORNBANK in Thailand; Naver Pay in South Korea; as well as ICBC Mobile Banking (ICBC Pay) in Malaysia. This development means that international travelers can now enjoy seamless mobile payment options during their stay in China.

One of the key features of this partnership is that users who link their UnionPay physical cards or activate digital UnionPay cards within these partner wallets can now scan Weixin Pay payment codes while in mainland China. All transactions will automatically convert to Chinese Yuan (RMB), streamlining the payment process even more.

Looking to the future, UnionPay plans to expand the availability of Weixin Pay QR code payments to additional UnionPay wallets in the Macao Special Administrative Region as well as in various Southeast Asian countries and the South Pacific region.

This collaboration is a significant milestone for UnionPay, which has been actively involved in improving the payment landscape for international visitors via its Project Excellence initiative launched in March 2024. Since launching this project, UnionPay has enabled its users to scan Weixin Pay codes provided by different merchants for payment since June. The introduction of this new QR payment feature in international wallets exemplifies UnionPay’s commitment to improved payment interoperability.

UnionPay’s ongoing efforts to engage with various payment industry partners not only enhance the payment experience for international visitors but also contribute to a more robust and sustainable business model. Foreign visitors to mainland China can now enjoy more choices and greater convenience when it comes to making payments, further supporting China's goals for a high-quality and collaborative opening.

This isn't UnionPay's first collaboration with Weixin Pay; the two entities have a history of partnership. In 2018, they worked together to establish a cross-border payment solution targeting Hong Kong residents making transactions with numerous merchants in mainland China. As UnionPay continually improves its local offerings, an increasing number of individuals from outside mainland China are leveraging the convenience of UnionPay's payment products. To date, over 250 million UnionPay cards have been issued across 83 countries and regions, while more than 200 UnionPay wallets are active in 36 countries and regions, allowing users to access UnionPay's extensive global network.

In conclusion, the UnionPay and Weixin Pay partnership represents a significant advancement in facilitating mobile payments for international visitors to China, marking a step toward a more interconnected and convenient payment ecosystem, which is essential for a thriving economy in an increasingly globalized world.