UnionPay Signs Payments Deals with Apple, China Telecom (Dec. 2, 2014)
China UnionPay continues to take steps to make it easier for its customers to make payments on their mobile devices. The company is working with Apple to enable millions of UnionPay customers in China to purchase apps for their Apple devices by linking their Apple ID with a UnionPay debit or credit card for one-tap purchases on Apple’s App store. “The ability to buy apps and make purchases using UnionPay cards has been one of the most requested features from our customers in China,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services. China is Apple’s second-largest market for app downloads, he added. Apple’s latest iteration of its popular handset, the iPhone 6, hit Chinese store shelves in October.
In related news, China UnionPay has signed an agreement with China Telecom, which has approximately 186 million mobile subscribers, to promote mobile payments to their customers and support other applications including fixed phone, television and IVR payments. The companies will enable mobile payments from UnionPay bankcards using a financial smart card (SIM card or smart SD card) on China Telecom devices, according to a UnionPay announcement. UnionPay says the mobile payment business has entered into the large-scale pilot stage in China.
The Chinese payments card issuer also is rumored to be promoting a mobile payment service, AndroidPay, with a possible launch by the end of 2015, according to several reports. AndroidPay would work on Android-based smartphones and, like would-be rival Apple Pay, incorporate fingerprint recognition and NFC technology to facilitate payments at the POS.
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