Media releases

4.5 billion UnionPay cards to be accepted across Westpac Group

 

18 November 2014

Tourists, students, business travellers and migrants who hold UnionPay cards in Australia will be able to access their money from one of the biggest multi-lingual ATM networks across the country from 20 November, Westpac Group announced today.

The agreement means more than 3,200 Westpac, St George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA-branded multi-lingual ATMs will be available to UnionPay cardholders who live, work, study or travel across the country. They will also be able to make payments on the group’s new merchant terminals from January 2015 as part of the partnership agreement signed by Westpac Banking Corporation and UnionPay in Sanya, Hainan Island, in April this year.

David Lindberg, Chief Product Officer of Westpac’s Australian Financial Services division, said: “The corridors of trade with China are flowing and we are seeing a large number of visitors in the form of tourists, students, business travellers and migrants to Australia, who will benefit from this agreement.

“Tourist arrivals from Greater China region are estimated to exceed one million in 2015 and increase 226% over the next decade . These visitors will be able to use their UnionPay cards throughout our extensive network, making it easier for them to make payments and alleviating a common concern people have when travelling.

“This also presents a great opportunity for our business customers who will be able to offer their Chinese consumers a better payment experience through merchant terminals and online payment facilities.

“It is a significant step forward for both Westpac and UnionPay and underlines our already deep and close working partnership to help millions of our respective customers both here in Australia and in China.”

UnionPay is one of the fastest growing global payment networks in the world, now accepted in over 140 countries and regions.