Sam Oliver
Though Apple Pay is only advertised to work in the U.S. at the moment, users have found that the tap-to-pay functionality found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is in fact operational with compatible terminals internationally, as long as the device is set up properly with American credit cards.
YouTube channel TechSmartt tested Apple Pay in Canada after the service launched this week, and found that they were able to pay at near-field communications terminals in the True North. A compatible credit card must be scanned into Passbook, and the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus must have its region set to the United States in order for Apple Pay to work.
The site demonstrated using Apple Pay at a vending machine with a Chase credit card. Using a generic NFC payment terminal, the vending machine approved the U.S.-based card with no further steps necessary.
This is possible because Apple opted to integrate with existing NFC-based tap-to-pay systems available on the market, rather than developing its own wireless standard. The existing NFC mobile payment infrastructure is also compatible with the EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) standard for chip cards.
Users have found success using Apple Pay in other countries as well, as noted by MacRumors, which found evidence of compatibility in Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
The immediate compatibility with global systems once again reveals the fact that the international roll-out of Apple Pay is not hampered by technology or point-of-sale systems. Rather, Apple must forge agreements with banks and credit card issuers to ensure compatibility.
Apple Pay officially launched in the U.S. on Monday with the release of iOS 8.1. For now it retail functionality is compatible with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, though Apple Pay support will also come to the Apple Watch when it launches next year.
For details on how to set up Apple Pay and where you can use it right now, see AppleInsider's in-depth guide and hands-on video.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
27 Comments
Someone please try this in on the London Tube! Must be American Express for compatibility (Visa/MC has some problems with US cards on the london transport)
Knew I should have picked up a pre-paid card while I was in the US earlier this year. (Except it probably still wouldn't work, and loading the things is a pain without a US bank account.)
Off-topic, U2 sold less than 25,000 deluxe albums in the USA in the week ending Oct 19. Usually, the deluxe version sells more than the basic offering. It's a clear lesson. http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/sales/salescht.cgi Maybe most iTunes Radio listeners were force fed new U2, unfortunately at the expense of other artists.
Someone please try this in on the London Tube!
Must be American Express for compatibility (Visa/MC has some problems with US cards on the london transport)
Amex will have the same problems. It's an EMV issue. The card needs to be Pin & Chip, and as top priority.
If the London Tubes are set up for Apple Pay, then MasterCard and Visa should work just fine, regardless of how the physical card is equipped.
My bigger concern would be if the card has a foreign transaction fee, but that's another issue.
I just used Apple Pay at Starbucks in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Although I live in Amsterdam, I have an American Citibank MasterCard which I linked to Apple Pay and was pleased to see that works abroad. The staff at Starbucks were not familiar with Apple Pay at all. However, when it was time to pay for my purchase, I held my iPhone 6+ against the NFC sensor on the payment terminal and my Citibank MasterCard appeared instantly on the screen. I tapped the touch ID and the transaction was completed. Fast, secure and much easier than using a credit card or bank card. John Sotomayor Amsterdam, The Netherlands