Qatar Airways has extended is partnership with international bank card network UnionPay to an additional 31 countries and regions.

Customers in countries including Qatar, Kuwait, India, Oman, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil and South Africa, among others, will be able to take advantage of UnionPay’s secure payment option when booking tickets on the airline’s website to more than 150 destinations on Qatar Airways’ global network.

The expansion of the agreement was signed during a ceremony held at the UnionPay head office in Shanghai.

Under the expanded agreement, Qatar Airways and UnionPay will embark upon greater collaboration for various sales and marketing initiatives.

Both parties will also look at creating a new and exclusive co-branded card that will provide UnionPay customers exclusive benefits on selected products by Qatar Airways. 

Qatar Airways senior vice president, Asia Pacific, Marwan Koleilat, said: “We always seek to ensure that our passengers’ journey is smooth and seamless, from the moment they book their tickets until the point at which they reach their final destination.

“The expansion of our agreement with UnionPay will provide even more customers the opportunity to use UnionPay as their preferred payment option when booking their tickets online, ensuring a convenient and hassle-free booking experience.”

With about 90 million cards issued outside mainland China, UnionPay is offering payment convenience to a growing number of global customers.

Now, UnionPay is accepted at more than ten million online merchants based in more than 200 countries and regions outside mainland China.