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Western Union enables Apple Pay for money transfers on iPhone

Western Union on Wednesday announced support for Apple Pay in its iPhone app, potentially speeding up international money transfers versus using a credit card or a bank account.

Apple Pay transactions must originate in the U.S., but can go out to over 200 regions worldwide, the company said. Once the option is selected in the app, the only other requirement is to authenticate via Touch ID.

Western Union has long offered Apple Pay at its physical locations, beginning its rollout in Jan. 2015 — just a few months after Apple Pay itself became available. This included kiosks in Walgreens and Duane Reade stores.

Since then Apple Pay has expanded considerably, not just in terms of merchant support but banks, countries, and even the methods in which it works. In addition to stores, restaurants, and apps it works on the Web, at train turnstiles, and also at some ATMs.

The Western Union Money Transfer app is a free download for iPhones and iPods with iOS 8 or later.