JETCO was founded by the Hong Kong Branch of the Bank of China (now Bank of China (Hong Kong)) in 1982 along with the Bank of East Asia, Chekiang First Bank, Shanghai Commercial Bank and Wing Lung Bank, and at present covers all banks in Hong Kong and Macau, except for HSBC and Hang Seng Bank, which uses a separate system known as ETC.

JETCO connects with the UnionPay network in Mainland China: JETCO cardholders can withdraw RMB cash at UnionPay machines in a number of major cities in Mainland China, while UnionPay cardholders can withdraw HK$ cash (no more than HK$5,000 per day) at JETCO machines in Hong Kong. However, after 1 January 2006, JETCO cardholders can no longer withdraw cash at UnionPay ATMs in Mainland since JETCO and UnionPay could not reach an agreement. Bank of East Asia has now linked its mainland ATMs to the JETCO network to allow users of the JETCO network to withdraw RMB cash on the mainland and mainland-based banks and others in Hong Kong have linked their ATMs in Hong Kong to the UnionPay network. Additionally, many banks in Hong Kong now issue UnionPay debit and credit cards for mainland use.