Apple Pay was first launched in 2014 in the United States and since then, it has seen a gradual rollout around the world as more countries and banks continue to sign up to the system.
In recent events, it was reported that more banks are adding support for Apple Pay to their financial services like FNB in South Africa, HeyBanco in Mexico, and ING in Belgium. This allows users to add a range of cards to the Wallet app on their iPhones for contactless mobile payments.
Apple Pay welcomed by banks in Belgium, Mexico, and South Africa
ING Belgium launched in the Netherlands about two years ago, and it has already announced support for Apple Pay. Various users have reported being able to add debit, but it appears that credit cards cannot be added due to an error. According to a statement by the Payments Director Arthur Vathournout at ING Belgium:
We are constantly looking for new ways to make it even easier for our customers to manage their finacnes; Apple Pay fits in perfectly with that. Due to the corona pandemic, we are seeing a change in behavior among our customers, who are less likely to use cash. Half of all payments are now made contactless, a sharp increase from 13% a year ago. With the introduction of Apple Pay in the ING Belgium app, we are seizing the momentum to offer our customers a new payment metho that offers ease ofuse in stores, on the road and online.
FNB Belgium now supports Apple Pay, allowing the bank’s customers to add their cards to the Wallet app and make purchases by using their smartphone or smartwatch enabling contactless payment. Users on Twitter posted that they were able to add their cards after updating the FNB banking app. MyBroadband tested the feature on an iPhone and Apple Watch in their offices to confirm that the feature works. The FNB cards currently being supported on Apple Pay include:
- Aspire Debit
- Business Debit
- Private Wealth Credit
- Private Fusion
- Premier Fusion
HeyBanco in Mexico has also added support for Apple Pay. Reader and app developer Angel David reported that he was able to add his HeyBanco Visa Card to the Wallet app, many other users have also reported support for Apple Pay.
The long-awaited moment here in Mexico Visa cards can now be added to the Wallet! I just added my card from @HeyBanco, but there are more new traditional and neo banks as well.
Apple Pay supports both international payment methods like American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, as well as country-specific payment schemes like China’s UnionPay, Canada’s Interac, Germany’s Girocard, Japan’s JCB, and others. The service is compatible with iPhone 6 and newer, iPad Air 2 and newer, all Apple Watches, and Macs featuring Touch ID.
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