UnionPay International partners with Spring Airlines

As per the information detailed in the press release, UnionPay International’s collaboration with Spring Airlines enables the acceptance of the former’s cards onto the airlines’ website for tourists from Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, SAR. With the solution having been officially launched at the end of January 2024, it is set to ensure that all passengers can receive safe, efficient, and convenient payment services.

Payment network UnionPay International has partnered with Spring Airlines to allow the latter’s website to accept UnionPay cards for tourists and business travellers.

UnionPay International – Spring Airlines collaboration objectives

The partnership provides multiple currencies including Japanese Yen, US Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Korean Won, Thai Baht, New Taiwan Dollars, and Singapore Dollars, among others. Transactions in these currencies on the Spring Airlines website accept UnionPay cards for online payments, allowing over 230 million UPI cardholders in 81 countries and regions simplified access to Spring Airlines’ services. Spring Airlines has destinations covering business and tourism cities in China, Southeast and Northeast Asia, operating more than 210 routes and transporting 20 million passengers annually.

According to Spring Airlines’ officials, the current implementation of the Visa exemption policy between China with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand is favourable for the development of China’s inbound and outbound tourism industry. This increased in volume of Southeast Asia flights on Spring Airlines’ website by approximately 10% compared to the previous year. By joining forces with UnionPay International, Spring Airlines intends to offer domestic and international travellers more payment options and safer and more efficient payment experiences. The two companies are set to continue leveraging their respective capabilities to discover potential collaborations in several circumstances while facilitating convenient payment solutions for inbound and outbound travellers.

Currently, over 180 local wallets have been launched in 35 countries and regions, with these UnionPay payment products covering card, QR code, contactless, and online payment, aiming to make daily and cross-border payments more convenient. The company introduced payment options for international travellers entering China and, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia region, UPI solidified its presence as a card brand. Spring Airlines’ customers can benefit from UnionPay’s extensive global network to provide a simplified and improved payment experience for international visitors. Through this, UnionPay works towards providing continuous advancement and cooperation, while making trips safe and more convenient for travellers.

UnionPay’s latest developments in the travelling industry

In addition to its collaboration with Spring Airlines, UnionPay International also partnered with Trip.com in December 2023 to offer global travellers enhanced payment experiences. The collaboration between the two companies covered all transaction currencies on Trip.com’s global sites accepting UnionPay online payments and intended to meet the needs of cardholders in major markets. Additionally, it was set to further improve UPI’s international presence in the global online travel agency (OTA) market in the long term, supporting the company’s global payment network expansion.