Australia Post and China UnionPay International, the world’s largest card organisation, have today announced the next phase of their partnership with Australia Post to issue Australia’s first UnionPay multi-currency travel card by the end of the year.
China UnionPay President Mr. Shi Wenchao made the first Union Pay transaction at Australia Post retail store in Bourke Street Melbourne.
With more than 4.2 billion cards in circulation, accepted by over 7.6 million merchants in China alone, UnionPay offers the most widely recognised method of payment for the People’s Republic of China.
The new UnionPay Load&Go travel card is based on Australia Post’s highly recognisable and trusted range of Load&Go reloadable cards and is designed to support the significant number of Australians travelling to China for business and leisure.
Mr. Shi Wenchao and Mr. Ahmed Fahour, at UnionPay and AusPost launch.
Australian travellers will be able to load Australian Dollars (AUD) and Chinese Yuan (CNY) currency to ensure exchange rates are locked in prior to departing Australia and keep track of what they’re spending online. With the ability to reload and top up funds while away, it provides a simple way for Australians to securely and conveniently access their funds overseas via China’s most widely accepted card scheme.
Australia Post Managing Director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour said: “We have been working with UnionPay International for some time now – our starting point was to find opportunities to make it simpler for Chinese citizens to make and receive payments in Australia. Chinese citizens and inbound tourists can already use their UnionPay card as a method of payment for a wide range of products and services at over 3,300 Australia Post retail outlets across the country. We are also in discussions with a range of billers to add UnionPay as a method of payment.
“In 2013 Australia Post’s subsidiary SecurePay, became one of the first payment gateways outside of China to enable acceptance of UnionPay cards online and is just another example of how we’re continuing to extend the range of trusted services that we provide both physically and digitally to respond to our customers’ evolving needs.”
The new UnionPay Load&Go travel card will be available in Australia Post retail outlets nationwide by December 2014.
