Without a cure in sight, active prevention is seen by many experts as being the most effective method in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and saving lives. For global payment provider UnionPay International (UPI), the first half of 2020 has been focused on limiting the risk of infection at the checkout by pushing for contactless payment options and extending the availability, range and ease of online payment. Minimize Exposure to Virus UnionPay International has been rolling out its contactless payment solution, QuickPass, in Australia long before the outbreak. So far, QuickPass is available at two-thirds of the over 490,000 merchants accepting UnionPay cards, including all Woolworths stores across Australia. Since the outbreak, UnionPay has actively supported the initiative to increase contactless payments limit from AUD 100 to AUD 200, offering greater ease for cardholders. No Need to Leave the House The drive to keep people home and healthy has led to an explosion in the use of Internet shopping and food delivery platforms. Mass public adoption of these platforms, however, is predicated on both the ease of navigation and ease of payment; the latter being a key focus point for UnionPay. In striving to popularize the use of these platforms and deliver an easy-to-use and localized payment system for cardholders in Australia, UnionPay International South Pacific have partnered with leading local providers. For comprehensive market app BUY@HOME, using a UnionPay-supported payment system allows the platform to provide discounts on groceries and food delivery for users. Similarly, food delivery giants Uber Eats and EASI have partnered with UnionPay to give out discount vouchers and special offers to users who pay with UnionPay. Amazon Australia has teamed up with UnionPay International to provide discounts for purchases over AUD100 with UnionPay cards and local e-commerce sites Kogan (electronics) and Gomart (Asian supermarket) also support UnionPay purchases with added discounts. More Than Just Fuelling Consumption UnionPay International also provides a whole host of online medical and psychological consultation services, including bilingual English and Chinese support for stress and anxiety brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic. UnionPay International has partnered with "WeDoctor" in launching the "WeDoctor Global Consultation and Prevention Centre", allowing UnionPay cardholders, including those in Australia, access to a team of over 10,000 medical professionals for health consultation and psychological assistance enquires. Education is another frontier in drastic need of digitization in Australia, and UnionPay International has committed to supporting payment services and discounts for several online learning and educations platforms including Australia Study, Life Learning, Statistica and iEduPay. About UnionPay International UnionPay International (UPI) is a subsidiary of China UnionPay focused on international business. In Australia, UnionPay has partnered with major Australian banks such as ANZ, NAB, Westpac and CBA, as well as 490,000 merchants, with 90% of ATMs and 85% of POS accepting UnionPay cards, almost two-thirds of those also accept UnionPay QuickPass. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost-effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world's largest cardholder base. It ensures convenient, localized services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants. SOURCE UnionPay International