KAN JIANG
The first UnionPay tourism card in Australia was issued last week, opening up many opportunities for international tourists.
The dual-currency card is divided into two types: AUD Card and RMB Card, with free currency conversion, providing more convenient and preferential payment services for Australian residents.
The card has access to the UnionPay network in over 140 countries and regions including the POS terminals in mainland China and over 100,000 POS terminals in Australia.
Australian resident Sam Jiang said the call for cross-border payment has been long desired and will benefit tourists greatly.
“Previously, when I visited to China, I needed to exchange currencies, or pay the conversion fee,” he said.
“Otherwise, I just used my mother’s card in China which was troublesome.
“I think this service is also convenient for overseas students. Yesterday I went to Macquarie University to visit my sister, I found they accept payment by UnionPay cards.”
However, at this point in time the service is only available at the Bank of China in Sydney, but plans to expand the availability of the card is in progress.
Bank of China Brisbane branch staff said they are not able to issue cards right now but can organise to have details transferred to the Sydney branch who would issue cards.
“If Brisbane residents need this service, we can send their details to Sydney,” the staff said.
“They should provide two valid bank cards and one passport photo.”
