UnionPay
UnionPay is China’s national card scheme, operated by UnionPay International (UPI) and the world’s largest card network by cards issued, with over 9 billion cards in circulation globally. Founded in 2002 and backed by the People’s Bank of China, it is the dominant payment instrument for China’s 1.4 billion population and has expanded aggressively into international markets over the past decade. Over 240 million UnionPay cards have been issued outside mainland China across 82 countries, with cardholders in more than 10 European countries.
In Europe, UnionPay’s acceptance footprint has grown substantially. As of September 2025, UnionPay is available in over 90% of European countries and regions, with 80% of European POS merchants accepting its cards and over 6 million merchant locations supporting UnionPay QuickPass contactless payments. QuickPass transaction volumes doubled in multiple European markets in 2025. Major retail destinations including Galeries Lafayette, Harrods, El Corte Inglés, and nine Value Retail premium outlet villages accept UnionPay, as do leading hotel groups and European airport duty-free operations. In the UK, a partnership with Dojo enables UnionPay acceptance at over 110,000 merchants in the hospitality sector.
For European merchants, UnionPay’s commercial relevance is primarily as an inbound payment method for Chinese tourists, business travellers, and increasingly for Chinese students and residents. Chinese outbound travel has grown strongly, and Chinese visitors to Europe represent some of the highest per-capita spending of any tourist nationality. For merchants in travel, hospitality, luxury retail, duty-free, and premium consumer sectors in markets with significant Chinese visitor traffic, UnionPay acceptance is a straightforward revenue opportunity.
For e-commerce, UnionPay acceptance allows merchants to serve Chinese consumers shopping cross-border. UnionPay supports online transactions and is integrated with mobile wallets including Huawei Pay and Apple Pay, extending its reach beyond physical card presentment. The QR code interoperability programme UnionPay has developed in Southeast Asia is also being extended, enabling merchants with QR-based setups to accept payments from UnionPay-linked wallets.
On cost, UnionPay merchant fees are set by acquirers and vary by market, transaction type, and volume. UnionPay interchange is not subject to EU IFR regulation, as the scheme is not classified under the same framework as Visa and Mastercard for EEA domestic consumer card transactions. Acquirer fees for UnionPay should be reviewed explicitly rather than assumed to mirror card scheme pricing.
PSP and acquirer support for UnionPay in Europe is available through Adyen, Worldpay, Worldline, and a growing number of specialist providers including PAIO and Decta for UK and European merchants.
Relevant markets: Global, with primary cardholder base in China and growing card issuance in Europe and Asia-Pacific
