China Unionpay Credit Card

Since we’ve been researching international credit cards, and recently applied for and received a Japanese JCB card, we’ve been looking at other “unusual” credit-card options.

The China Unionpay card is the largest card issuer in China, with more than 1 billion (yes, we said billion) cards issued, and is accepted in 26 countries. It doesn’t appear likely that Americans can obtain a China Unionpay card (unlike the JCB card, which is available to residents of some U.S. states), but it’s worth noting that U.S. Discover cards are supposed to be accepted at China Unionpay merchants throughout China. If you’re going to the Beijing Olympics, don’t leave home without your Discover card. (How we wish we could read this Unionpay “Club” page. It’s fun just clicking on the photos.)

In our odd quest to have as many “different” credit cards as possible, we’ll keep our eyes open for ways that we can get an actual China Unionpay card (rather than just a Discover that may work on their system).