UnionPay QuickPass debuts in southern Europe

UnionPay International Wednesday announced cooperation with Greece's largest banking group Piraeus Bank to offer mobile QuickPay services in southern Europe for the first time by the end of 2017, reports Chinanews.com.

UnionPay QuickPay [File Photo: VCG]

Consumers can use 'QuickPass' chip cards and UnionPay mobile 'QuickPass' with 50,000 merchants under Piraeus Bank to enjoy password-and-signature-free micropayments. QuickPass services were trialed in a pilot at scenic spots, grocery stores, duty-free shops and restaurants in the tourist areas of Athens and Santorini.

UnionPay International has cooperated with four major banks in Greece, and UnionPay services will be accessible on almost all the ATMs and over 80% of POS terminal machines by the end of this year, according to reports.

Staff from UnionPay International confirmed the move was due to changes in consumer payment habits, causing it to pick up the pace in expanding its overseas operations. Latest data revealed that over 600,000 POS terminal machines covering 10 plus nations and regions support mobile QuickPass. As flexible and convenient mobile payments are increasingly popular among cardholders, mobile QuickPass transactions doubled during the recent Chinese National Day holiday.

In Europe, 2.3 million merchants in 39 nations and regions, accounting for half of the total that can swipe chip cards, accept payments by UnionPay. Recently, UnionPay International announced it would join hands with GlobalBlue to upgrade its tax rebate services and extend its 'urban tax rebate' service from Germany, Italy, and Britain to France.