Apple will partner with American Express to launch Apple Pay in Australia and Canada by the end of the year and Hong Kong, Singapore and Spain over the course of 2016, CEO Tim Cook revealed during a quarterly conference call on Tuesday.
Mentioned almost in passing, the upcoming rollout is a major boost for Apple Pay's international availability, which until now has been limited to the U.S. and the UK.
According to Cook, the partnership will bring Apple Pay to Australia and Canada by the end of the year, though specifics are unknown. For example, it is unclear which card issuing banks are on board to offer support, if any. Interestingly, TD Canada Trust bank accidentally revealed upcoming Visa compatibility earlier this month, suggesting support for other credit cards are in the offing.
After substantial uptake at launch, Apple Pay adoption rates have slowed over the past year, studies show. Apple is trying to boost those numbers by extending availability to hundreds of banks in the U.S. It was announced on Tuesday, for example, that Kohl's will be the first store-branded credit card to join up with Apple Pay.