Apple Pay has officiallyexpandedto Ireland today for customers of KBC and Ulster Bank, two of the country’s big four banking institutions. The service also works with EU’s Boon prepay system tied to MasterCard. Irish customers who register their Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards via the Wallet app can start using the service to pay securely for goods in “tens of thousands” of stores, including Aldi, Boots, Burger King, Harvey Norman and Lidl.
Apple Pay is also supported in compatible apps and on some websites. The Cupertino company has added related Apple Pay details toits regional website in Italy, signaling an imminent launch in the 60 million people market. Also, major banks have recently gained regulatory approval to launch Apple’s payments service in Taiwan.
“We ultimately want to bring Apple Pay to as many users in Ireland as possible,” Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s chief of Apple Pay,toldThe Independent. “But even if your primary bank isn’t involved today with Apple Pay, you can still use Apple Pay with Boon prepay.”
Boon prepayis a European service designed to permit customers to conduct transactions at point of sale terminals that accept MasterCard contactless payments.
Irish customers should check out thelocalized Apple Pay mini-sitefor further information, including the list of eighteen retailers and ten featured apps that accept Apple Pay at launch.
According to a report in Focus Taiwan, seven major banks in Taiwan have recentlyobtainedpermission from the country’s Financial Supervisory Commission to offer Apple Pay when the service rolls out there.
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As of January, the seven banks—Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank, Cathay United Bank, E. Sun Commercial Bank, Taishin International Bank, CTBC Bank, First Commercial Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan—had issued 25.4 million credit cards, or 62 percent of the Taiwan’s total.
Apple’s Taiwanese websitehas listedApple Pay as “coming soon” since February.
Beyond Taiwan, the mobile payments service is expected to launchin Germanyand Italy in the near future as the iPhone maker recently added complete translations of Apple Pay support documents to itsGermanandItalianwebsites.
Apple Pay in Italy will support Boon, UniCredit and Carrefour Banca at launch.
Apple Pay is available on iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and on iPhone 7 Plus. The service can be used with iPhone 5 or later when paired with your Apple Watch. Making payments in apps and on the web is supported with Apple Pay across compatible iPhone, iPad and MacBook devices.
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Apple’s support document for U.S. userswas updated today with a list of more than two dozen additional banks and credit unions that now accept payments via Apple Pay:
And in Japan, the service now supports the following banks and card issuers:
Apple Pay is now available in fourteen countries following the addition ofSpain last DecemberandNew ZealandandJapanin October of last year. TheiOS Feature Availability webpageprovides an up-to-date list of Apple Pay markets.
