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Pre-Paid Cards in China

Publisher Euromonitor International
Published Jan 19, 2026
Length 26 Pages
SKU # EP20807783

Description

Pre-paid cards in China contracted again in 2025, as consumers continued to shift everyday spending to real-time digital wallets that use linked debit or credit credentials and remove the need for top-ups. Regulatory scrutiny remained a further drag, particularly for open loop products, limiting issuance and reinforcing a gradual retreat toward closed loop use cases such as transport and merchant gift cards. While initiatives such as Shanghai Pass show how open loop prepaid can support inbound t...

Euromonitor International's Pre-Paid Card Transactions in China report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

Product coverage: Closed Loop Pre-Paid Card Transactions, Open Loop Pre-Paid Card Transactions.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?
* Get a detailed picture of the Pre-Paid Card Transactions market;
* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
* Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Table of Contents

26 Pages
Pre-Paid Cards in China
Euromonitor International
January 2026
List Of Contents And Tables
PRE-PAID CARDS IN CHINA
KEY DATA FINDINGS
2025 DEVELOPMENTS
Digital wallets and tighter oversight subvert growth for pre-paid cards
INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE
Pre-paid card market faces contraction in 2025
Pre-paid cards see limited use in China, despite increased personalisation
WHAT’S NEXT?
Pre-paid card transaction volumes to see marginal increase going forward
Regulatory environment likely to remain restrictive
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Competitive landscape remains largely unchanged
Transport players as biggest operators in pre-paid cards
CATEGORY DATA
Table 1 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 2 Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 3 Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 4 Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 5 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 6 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 7 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 8 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 9 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 10 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 11 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 12 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 13 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 14 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 15 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 16 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 17 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 18 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 19 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 20 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 21 Forecast Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 22 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 23 Forecast Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 24 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 25 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 26 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 27 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 28 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
FINANCIAL CARDS AND PAYMENTS IN CHINA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Debit-led mobile payments drive progress, while credit and prepaid lose relevance
KEY DATA FINDINGS
INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE
Debit cards remain favoured within financial cards and payments
Credit cards and pre-paid cards continue to lose ground
Non-performing loan (NPL) rate of credit cards sees improvement, while international payments are easier for inbound tourists
WHAT’S NEXT?
Debit cards to remain on top
Credit cards will see positive growth in forecast period
Pre-paid cards will record slight improvement
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
China UnionPay dominates landscape
China Merchant Bank benefits from direct foreign transactions, as newer players continue to rise
MARKET INDICATORS
Table 29 Number of POS Terminals: Units 2020-2025
Table 30 Number of ATMs: Units 2020-2025
Table 31 Value Lost to Fraud 2020-2025
Table 32 Card Expenditure by Location 2025
Table 33 Financial Cards in Circulation by Type: % Number of Cards 2020-2025
Table 34 Domestic versus Foreign Spend 2025
MARKET DATA
Table 35 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 36 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2020-2025
Table 37 Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 38 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 39 Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 40 Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 41 M-Commerce by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 42 M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 43 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 44 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 45 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 46 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 47 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 48 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2025-2030
Table 49 Forecast Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 50 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 51 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 52 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 53 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 54 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2025-2030
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
SOURCES
Summary 1 Research Sources

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