Visitors from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) have spent 6.77 billion yuan (about 850 million U.S. dollars) using the bank cards, since the Renminbi (RMB) currency service was launched in HKSAR two years ago.

The mainland bank card payment system run by China Union Pay inked a memorandum on strategic cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board in Shanghai last Wednesday, pledging further cooperation by launching credit card coupon promotions and special VIP services for mainland travelers shopping in HK.

Holders of Chinese currency Union Pay banking cards can pay for their shopping, dining, travel and medical bills and extract cash in local currency linked with China Union Pay's card network.

By the end of last year there were 2,430 ATM machines and 27,000 business outlets in Hong Kong that recognized the China Union Pay cards.

The Chinese mainland has become a pivotal tourist source market for Hong Kong with more than 12.5 million visits to Hong Kong recorded last year.

China Union Pay, currently the largest bank card network in China with 815 million cardholders, has all its service been expanded to Macao, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and five European countries.