Smartphone users in Hong Kong now have another mobile wallet option with the introduction of 3 Citi Wallet. The NFC-enabled solution is a collaboration between 3 Hong Kong, the mobile arm of Hutchison Telecommunications Holdings Ltd., and Citibank Hong Kong.

The solution enables contactless payments for amounts up to HK$1,000 per transaction. 3 Hong Kong said it's the only wallet in Hong Kong that supports Android and iOS operating systems; using the wallet with an iPhone requires an NFC sticker provided by Citibank.

The wallet includes mobile payment capability, transaction history, a location-based special offer service and a search function that directs customers to the best deals within their vicinity, the companies said, and works with the region's 9,000 Visa PayWave readers.

The new wallet, which is tailored to Citibank Visa credit card users, "is widely supported by a vast array of retail merchants, significantly widening the capabilities of mobile payment," Amy Lung, managing director of 3 Hong Kong (Mobile), said in a news release. "With a huge number of customers already using smartphones on our high-speed data network and Citibank's broad range of financial products and services, the '3 Citi Wallet' revolutionizes the existing mobile communication platform and marks a milestone in mobile payment."

"(Citibank was) the first to launch online banking, mobile banking and instant credit card issuance service in Hong Kong ... and the '3 Citi Wallet' is the latest addition on our innovation roadmap," Christine Lam, country business manager, Citibank Global Consumer Banking, Hong Kong, said in the release.

Users can assign up to three designated Citibank Visa Credit Cards to the mobile wallet. To complete a purchase, they sign in to the app with a user-defined password, then place the phone over the Visa payWave reader at checkout.

Read more about mobile/digital wallets.