FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- UnionPay International ("UPI" or "the Company") and Bank of China Frankfurt Branch announced the launch of the SplendorPlus Debit Card, marking its first issuance in Europe. Tailored to serve local residents in Germany to travel to China, the card caters to the surge in travel to China, offering a cost-effective and convenient cross-border payment solution for seamless transactions during their trips. This initiative also reinforces cross-border engagement and long-term institutional cooperation.
The SplendorPlus Card combines the strength of the Bank of China brand with the reach of UnionPay's global network, offering customers convenient purchases both locally and internationally, with seamless spending experiences in China. Key highlight for cardholders is the cashback incentive: 1% cash back on transactions made via the UnionPay network in Chinese mainland.
In Germany, UnionPay services are widely available in key tourist areas, including airports, shopping districts, and outlet villages, covering merchants such as department stores, duty-free shops, restaurants, hotels, and car rental services. Through a partnership with Epay, UnionPay QR code payments are additionally accepted at major retail chains including Müller, Galeria, and Heinemann duty-free shops.
As part of its Project Excellence initiative, the card is widely accepted in China, covering over 1.31 million merchants across transportation, dining, shopping, and entertainment venues. Further enhancing its utility, UnionPay has partnered with 213 offline aggregated code merchants and 166 major online platforms to support international card acceptance, helping users enjoy a seamless experience across both physical and digital retail scenarios.
Through this collaboration, UnionPay and Bank of China Frankfurt Branch will integrate SplendorPlus benefits into existing card products, boosting the competitiveness of Bank of China's UnionPay dual-currency debit cards. Starting from October 1, 2025, current dual-currency debit cards will be upgraded to the SplendorPlus Card, with cashback rewards promoted and accessible via UnionPay's mobile-based U Rewards Platform. This initiative is expected to enhance inbound payment experiences for cardholders and drive growth in both card issuance volume and transaction activity.
UnionPay International launched its Project Excellence in 2024 to develop multi-tiered, diversified payment services. In early 2025, the program expanded its focus to three key areas: acceptance scenario enhancement, product upgrades, and international reach expansion-all aimed at simplifying payments in China for overseas customers. Transaction data reflects the program's effectiveness: foreign-issued and cross-border UnionPay card volume surged 103% year-over-year, with transaction value rising 31%.
To cater to diverse user needs, UnionPay has rolled out targeted products. The SplendorPlus Card, designed for long-term visitors and local residents with cross-border payment demands, integrates global acceptance with optimized China-focused features. It is now offered through 56 institutions across 20 markets. This expands UnionPay's global footprint, which now includes hundreds of millions of cards issued in 84 countries and regions. For mobile-first users, over 200 UnionPay standard digital wallets are available for application in 37 markets.
UnionPay has also expanded tax refund services, offering both airport and city-center instant refund options, and is actively advancing cross-border QR code interoperability, reaching agreements with networks in 19 countries and regions to enable international customers to use familiar payment tools in China, while continuing to enhance payment convenience and accessibility for foreign tourists and merchants.
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