UnionPay hopes for better mobile payments

China UnionPay, the country’s bankcard association, aims to deliver better mobile payment services to cardholders on the third anniversary of its mobile QuickPass solution.

Mobile QuickPass is a "tap and go" payment way which allows users to make transactions by scanning UnionPay QR code and placing their smart mobile devices near the card slots or the near-field communication technology (NFC) reading areas of compatible point-of-sale (POS) terminals.

The solution, unveiled three years ago, supports offline NFC contactless payment with UnionPay chip cards, QuickPass-enabled smart phones and wearable devices as well as online payment.

Compared with other payment products like Alipay and WeChat Pay, customers don’t need to unlock the screen of their mobile phones, scan the QR code, or open certain apps. As long as they activate the phone screen and locate it close to the POS machine, the payment will be processed with a notification beep.

Together with Cloud Quick Pass and QR code payment, QuickPass is one of the three mobile payment solutions offered by China UnionPay.

So far, more than 16 million POS terminals in China accept UnionPay’s mobile QuickPass service and the number of QuickPass-accepting POS machines has reached approximately 2.8 million across 37 countries and regions, including popular tourist destinations like Japan, Russia, Australia and Singapore.

The service is now mainly available in public transportation system including buses, subways and high-speed trains, restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, supermarkets, and convenient stores, the Shanghai-based company said.

UnionPay said it has been making constant efforts to improve its technology and standards, lending full support to major mobile phone makers and empower the payment industry.

Since 2016, the association has been collaborating with major mobile phone makers, both home and abroad, to provide added convenience and security to cardholders’ daily payment. Last month, it joined hands with OPPO and rolled out OPPO pay service.

The mobile QuickPass product is now compatible with various mobile phone brands, including Huawei, Apple, Samsung, MI and Meizu.