Apple Now Accepting UnionPay as Payment Option for App Store Customers in China

unionpay logo Apple today announced that it is now accepting UnionPay as a payment option for App Store customers in China. Established in 2002, UnionPay is the most popular payment card company in China with over 4.5 billion cards issued. With today's announcement, users can simply link their UnionPay debit or credit card for easy purchases.

“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 already our second largest market for app downloads, and now we’re providing users with an incredibly convenient way to purchase their favorite apps with just one-tap.”

The acceptance of UnionPay in the App Store is the latest move by Apple to expand its presence in China. The company is also in talks with major Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba over a China-focused payments partnership, which could see the Alipay electronics payment service integrate with Apple Pay. Discussions between the two companies were acknowledged by Alibaba Executive Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

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Top Rated Comments

OriginalMacRat Avatar
137 months ago
Come on Discover!!!!

You need a REAL credit card. :p
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lincolntran Avatar
137 months ago
You need a REAL credit card. :p

He'll have to discover that on his own #
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scbn Avatar
137 months ago
I believe UnionPay is a joint venture of all the major banks in China; that's why everybody has a number of UnionPay cards. Most people don't have Visa/Mastercard (or any Western credit card) in China as the Chinese financial markets are tightly controlled by the government. So this is a big deal for Apple because more people are expected to be able to download paid apps.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
137 months ago
You need a REAL credit card. :p

shopdiscover + cashback bonus says differently
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
137 months ago
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brandscill Avatar
137 months ago
What did they accept before?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)