UnionPay unveils Smart Payment Service support plan, facilitating cross-border payments for APEC “China Year”
UnionPay has officially released the “Qianhai Smart Payment Service Support Plan for the 2026 APEC ‘China Year’,” aimed at facilitating payments for global visitors to Shenzhen.
UnionPay has developed a comprehensive product matrix encompassing bank cards, QR code payments, and mobile Pay (mobile contactless solutions). Leveraging its core solutions, UnionPay is breaking down barriers to inbound payments by enabling the direct use of international UnionPay cards and partner wallets in China’s mainland and by allowing international UnionPay cards to be added to China-based wallets. Inbound visitors can swipe international UnionPay cards directly, or add them to mobile Pay services such as Apple Pay for tap-and-go payments. In terms of QR code payments, over 200 overseas partner wallets from more than 37 countries and regions can read and process UnionPay QR codes in China’s mainland. Alternatively, cardholders can also link their UnionPay cards to mobile apps such as the Nihao China App, Alipay, and WeChat Pay for QR code payments. Notably, in addition to international UnionPay cards, the Nihao China App supports top-up to the in-app Tour Wallet from bank cards issued by Visa, MasterCard, JCB and Diners Club.
Addressing pain points such as language barriers for foreign nationals, UnionPay has worked with partners to launch the AI-powered smart large-screen POS terminal and the P18 smart multilingual POS terminal, which support voice-based interaction and real-time translation in 14 languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and French. These terminals have integrated functions such as international card acceptance and departure tax refund guidance, enabling visitors to complete the entire process without human assistance. Additionally, UnionPay will soon launch smart glasses integrated with the Nihao China App, allowing international visitors to enjoy smart payments.
UnionPay continues to enhance its acceptance environment. It has brought payment acceptance quality in key commercial districts—such as Uniway, Chow Tai Fook, K11, and Sea World—up to the standards of “Shenzhen Seamless Payment Commercial Districts”. UnionPay has also established a regular mechanism for payment service specialists, and provides training on the use of Nihao China App as well as international cards and wallets. It has also built the “Nihao Shenzhen” AI-powered Smart Payment Service Zone at Uniway, integrating multilingual terminals, international card acceptance, departure tax refund, and inbound payment guidance. A total of 38 key merchants have completed acceptance upgrades for international cards and wallets, enhancing the convenience and success rate of multiple payment methods, including cards, QR codes, and mobile Pay for international visitors.
In addition to providing a comprehensive product matrix and strengthening the acceptance environment, UnionPay is also launching a promotional campaign in Qianhai, offering a 30% discount at all the participating merchants with savings of up to RMB 600 per transaction. International visitors can easily participate in the promotion using their bank cards or mobile Pay products, or by making QR payments.