IMGCAP(1)]
Consumers who use TurboJet ferries from Hong Kong to Macau and mainland China can use their Visa payWave cards to buy tickets, Visa Inc. said in a press release Thursday. Hong Kong is the first Asia-Pacific market where consumers can use their Visa-branded contactless cards to pay for ferry rides, the card company says. Cardholders can buy the tickets at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in the Shun Tak Centre, a shopping and transit complex; at China Ferry terminals in Tsim Sha Tsui, an area in Hong Kong; and at the Hong Kong International Airport. At least 3 million consumers took ferries to Macau between 1 Jan. and 30 April, up about 2.3% from the same period last year, according to the Macau Government Tourist Office. Consumers in Hong Kong can make contactless purchases with Visa cards of up to HK$500 (US$65 or 45 euros) without signing receipts. Financial institutions began issuing Visa-branded contacltess cards in Hong Kong in early 2008.
