Even as local retail spending remains resilient, Hong Kong consumers are shopping more across the border in mainland China, drawn by lower prices and wider adoption of digital payments, according to data from payment giant UnionPay International.
Offline UnionPay card spending in mainland China by Hong Kong residents rose nearly 30 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026, while online and digital transactions recorded even stronger growth, data released on Thursday showed.
The trend reflected deepening integration of the consumer markets in Hong Kong and mainland China, supported by seamless digital payments, improved connectivity and increasingly cross-border lifestyles across the Greater Bay Area.
“Mainland China remains a major hotspot, driven by price differentials and changing consumer habits,” said Roger Lee, vice-president for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan at UnionPay International.
Yet the company also remained “cautiously optimistic about local consumption”, he added, citing a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in Hong Kong offline spending through June.
To further tap cross-border demand, UnionPay announced an arrangement allowing Hong Kong residents to enjoy China’s national consumer goods trade-in subsidy programme.
Hong Kong shoppers travelling to the mainland could now receive government subsidies of up to 20,000 yuan (US$2,954) without needing to open a mainland bank account or obtain a mainland mobile phone number, the company said.