Payment and transaction service provider Worldline has announced it will extend its acquiring services for two leading Chinese payment brands at Budapest Airport.
Following the launch of Alipay at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in January 2018, the move is the second collaboration of Worldline with Heinemann Duty Free and acts as the first acceptance of Alipay in Hungary.
“While UnionPay is the most widespread Chinese credit card, more and more travellers skip the physical card and go straight to mobile payment options through Alipay,” said Vincent Roland, managing director merchant services, Worldline.
“This is a trend hardly any retailer with a focus on Chinese tourists can afford to miss out on. We are supporting all of our merchant customers with innovative payment solutions including these brands.”
In 2018, approximately 250.000 Chinese tourists visited the Hungarian capital – a growth rate of more than 11%.
Worldine believe introducing a payment method that Chinese tourists already trust will help improve end-to-end customer experience.
Ildikó Jankovich, managing director, Heinemann Duty Free at Budapest Airport added: “We are delighted that we can now make both UnionPay and Alipay payments available to Chinese customers in our Duty Free Shops in Budapest.
“We see great potential in this customer segment, and we want them to enjoy the best customer experience.
“By partnering with Worldline, we can be sure to smoothly expand the offering to other countries as well as broaden the range of acceptance services.”
As a central acquiring partner for both Alipay and UnionPay, Worldline is enabling merchants to process these payment method at airports including: Amsterdam Schiphol, Basel Mulhouse, Bremen, Brussels, Burgas, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Helsinki, London Heathrow, Luxembourg, Malmoe, Malta, Martinique, Munich, Stockholm Arlanda, Toulouse, Varna, Vienna and Zurich.
