UnionPay International announced today that it has collaborated with Westpac in launching the UnionPay offline acceptance business in New Zealand. Westpac has now enabled about 5,000 of its offline merchants to accept UnionPay cards, and will enable another 15,000 merchants by the end of 2018; some of these merchants will accept UnionPay Mobile QuickPass. Then, UnionPay’s merchant acceptance coverage in New Zealand will be increased to 60%. Recently, Westpac has already enabled all of its ATMs and about 1300 online merchants in New Zealand to accept UnionPay cards.

Chairman of China UnionPay, Ge Huayong, said, China is the second largest tourist source country and the largest exchange student source country of New Zealand; the cross-border payment demands between the two countries are growing. UnionPay is deepening its cooperation with the major institutions in South Pacific to improve its online and offline acceptance network as well as promoting UnionPay Mobile QuickPass in New Zealand, to enhance cardholders’ payment experiences. Next, UnionPay will also seek opportunities to issue cards with local institutions to bring new payment options to New Zealand customers.

As one of the prime banks in South Pacific, Westpac provides financial services in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and other island countries in the region. Since the signing of comprehensive cooperation agreement with UnionPay International in April, 2014, the Bank has enabled all of its ATMs and POS terminals in Australia and seven island countries to accept UnionPay cards. Now, the bank is accelerating the launch of UnionPay business in New Zealand. The online merchants enabled to accept UnionPay cards include Hobbiton, Queenstown Bungy, Te Puia, Polynesian Spa and Ace Car Rental, offering convenience to individual tourists in particular for their trip planning and ticket booking.

The offline merchants that have started accepting UnionPay cards include Starbucks, KFC, Lululemon, Macpac, Budget Car Rental, etc. By the end of 2016, Westpac will further enable 15,000 more offline merchants to accept UnionPay cards, covering a variety of types, including catering, accommodation, shopping, travel, and public utility. About half of these merchants will accept UnionPay Mobile QuickPass, through which cardholders can make easy payments by tapping UnionPay IC card with “QuickPass” identification and QuickPass-enabled mobile phones.

According to public data, in the first half of this year, about 400,000 Chinese tourists visited New Zealand, close to last year’s annual total. Currently, UnionPay is accepted at 85% of ATMs and around 40,000 merchants in New Zealand. The official website of Immigration New Zealand accepts UnionPay card for visa application fee payment. In addition, the websites of Auckland University and other local schools have also accept UnionPay cards for online tuition payment.