Apple Pay has gone Down Under, reaching its fourth country since its 2014 launch in the U.S.
The payment service has expanded to Australia, just one day after
As with Apple Pay’s Canadian roll-out, Apple Pay will be available only to American Express customers to start. Apple Pay can be used in Australia at retailers that accept Amex contactless payments, including McDonald's, Woolworths and Starbucks. Many online retailers will also accept Apple Pay, the paper writes, and Australia's biggest online payments gateway provider eWay will also integrate Apple Pay into its mobile app.
The Morning Herald notes that Amex has 17% market share in Australia, with 6.8 million cards in circulation. But 1.9 million of these cards are companion cards issued by banks with Visa and MasterCard linked to the account. Apple Pay is available only for cards directly issued by Amex.
Apple remains in negotiations with Australian banks over the service – the tech company is reportedly asking to receive 15 cents of the average 83 cents that banks would receive from a $100 transaction for card payments.
Apple previously announced plans to launch its mobile wallet next year in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong.
