China’s behemoth UnionPay lets smartphone users ring up purchases in two seconds flat

Imagine standing in a store with no cash or bank cards or even a telecoms signal and just waving a smartphone above a point of sale unit. Seconds later, the payment is done.

That is what China UnionPay is promoting.

On Saturday, together with more than 20 banks, smartphone makers and internet companies, China UnionPay formally released Quick Pass to strengthen its presence in the competitive third-party, mobile payment market.

According to the company, users don’t need to open an app in order to pay nor is internet availability an issue. The system also gave them better security of their personal information, UnionPay said. Set-up takes 30 seconds and payment is quick – two seconds.

Trial runs, led by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, began in May and the service has already been established in McDonald’s and petrol stations.

Quick Pass was currently only available for Android devices, but Apple fans would be brought into the fold in the first quarter on next year, Xinhua reported.