UnionPay International joins Spring Airlines to boost travel payment experience

By Gloria Mathias

UnionPay International (UPI) and Spring Airlines have announced that the official Spring Airlines website is accepting UnionPay cards for tourists and business travellers from Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, SAR, ensuring that every passenger can enjoy safe, fast, and convenient payment services.

The collaboration covers multiple currencies, including Japanese yen, US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, Korean won, Thai baht, New Taiwan dollars, and Singapore dollars, among others. These currency transactions on the Spring Airlines website officially accept UnionPay cards for online payments. The new service officially launches on January 31, 2024.

Spring Airlines is China’s low-cost airline, exclusively operated by private capital, and the first low-cost airline established by a travel agency. By the end of 2022, Spring Airlines had 116 Airbus A320 series aircraft, with destinations covering major business and tourism cities in China, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia. It operates more than 210 routes and transports 20 million passengers annually.

Jia Li, General Manager of Financial Payment for Spring Airlines, said, “The current implementation of the visa exemption policy between China and Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand is favourable for the development of China’s inbound and outbound tourism industry. As a result, the search volume for Southeast Asia flights on Spring Airlines’ official website, ch.com, has increased by over 10% compared to the previous period. By joining hands with UnionPay International, Spring Airlines aims to provide domestic and international travellers with more payment options as well as a safer and more efficient payment experience. Moving forward, Spring Airlines and UnionPay International will continue leveraging their respective strengths to explore potential collaborations in various scenarios, further facilitating convenient payment solutions for inbound and outbound travellers.”

UnionPay payment products cover cards, QR codes, contactless, and online payment, making daily life and cross-border payments much more convenient. Customers of Spring Airlines can leverage UnionPay’s extensive global network to provide a smoother and more authentic payment experience for international visitors.