According to official statistics, there are about 190,000 people in Hong Kong SAR with varying degrees of visual impairment, accounting for around 2.7% of the total population. MyCard’s thoughtful solutions allow the visually impaired to identify the card from the wallet easily and also facilitate their use of contactless digital payment, while there was no such accessible payment options available for this group in the market previously.

To provide a greater sense of convenience, inclusivity, and independence to the visually impaired community, MyCard has been enhanced to a universal design after considering the comments from Hong Kong Blind Union, a non-profit organization that promotes self-help, mutual-help as well as equality and opportunities for the visually impaired. The organization is pleased to see this new arrangement, and hopes more initiatives will be developed by financial institutions to improve the financial service as well as user-experience for the visually impaired in the future.

For any spending on the card, a charitable donation of 1% will be made to the Hong Kong Blind Union to support its mission and visions, while cardholders can also enjoy a 1% cash reward. The first 1,000 cardholders to register before 31 December will receive a HKD$100 cash reward. Card fees for the first 3,000 cards will be waived.

A series of charitable Christmas events has been organized by UnionPay to promote the initiation and support the development of this new card. The launch of MyCard underscores the company’s commitment to inclusivity and corporate social responsibility. “UnionPay strives to continue bringing positive impact to the disadvantaged groups and better fulfil the corporate social responsibility by improving payment efficiency and service for the cardholders,” says Ms. Shao Min, General Manager of UnionPay International Hong Kong Branch.