As predicted yesterday, Apple Pay is now live in Canada, thanks to an agreement with American Express. Australia has also been revealed to be getting the payments service “later this week”.
American Express cardholders can now use the Apple Watch or any iPhone from last year’s generation onwards to make contactless payments at various select bricks and mortar outlets in Canada, including those of Tim Hortons, Indigo, Staples, Petro Canada and McDonald’s. In-app payments are also possible through any iPhone or iPad released in 2014 or 2015.
In Canada, Apple Pay can be used with any merchant terminal that has NFC – near field communication – technology and the AMEX contactless payments system. However, co-branded cards, like those available from Bank of Nova Scotia, are not covered by the deal signed between Apple and American Express.
The Cupertino company has also let slip to the Financial Post that Australia will be the fourth launch country for Apple Pay “later this week”. As reported by Tim Cook at Apple’s last quarterly earnings report, this, too, will be through a partnership with American Express. The New York bank’s cardholders in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong are also in line for next year.