Six years after its launch in the U.S, Apple Pay is now available in Israel. As per a local publisher, The Verifier, the cashless payment service is live in the country with the support of all local banks’ credit and debit cards. It is reported that some users are able to add their bank cards in the Wallet app on their iPhones and make contactless payments. The news was first shared in November 2020, the service was coming to the country via Isracard.
Apple Pay allows users to make digital contactless payments/purchases in a secure way. Users can easily get started by registering their physical debit and credit cards in the Wallet app on iPhone. And without taking out physical cards, users can make quick payments in stores, in apps, and on the web via iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac. In addition, users can send and receive money via iMessage.
Banks with Apple Pay in Israel
According to the report, Apple has included Israel on the Apple Pay support page. Here are the banks compatible with the service.
- Bank Hapoalim (MasterCard and American Express Cards)
- Bank Leumi (MasterCard and Visa cards)
- Bank Database (MasterCard and Visa Cards)
- Discount Bank (MasterCard and Visa Cards)
- First International Bank Group (MasterCard and Visa Cards)
- CAL Credit Card Company (MasterCard and Visa)
- Isracard credit card company (MasterCard and American Express cards)
- Pepper (Visa Cards)
- MAX Credit Card Company (MasterCard and Visa)
- Mercantile Bank (MasterCard and Visa Cards)
- Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards)
It is also mentioned that other banks will support the payment service by the end of this year.
Recently, a patent reveals that Apple is working to make the service smarter by introducing a ‘Location-based credential selection for wireless transactions’ feature to automatically select a relevant card as per need, like metro, credit, or other cards.
The Cupertino tech company encourages users to pay via Apple Pay by associating the service with a social cause. As a limited-time offer, the company donated $10 for each Apple Pay purchase to the National Park Foundation, and for Earth Day, it donated $1.
