Stephen Silver
Apple Pay functionality may be coming to the Netherlands and Belgium for the first time, based on a clue posted to the Apple Pay website in Italy.
According to iCulture.nl, an Apple enthusiast site based in the Netherlands, Apple recently added Bunq — a mobile-based bank based in Amsterdam — to its list of supported European banks for Apple Pay, according to an official Apple Support website.
On the list, Bunq is listed under Italy, which has offered Apple Pay since the spring of 2017. When iCulture contacted the bank about the addition, a Bunq spokesperson told them they could not say anything because of restrictions applied by unspecified third-parties until a scheduled press event on March 20.
There have been false starts in countries before, heralded by banks in other countries accepting the payment service. However, this is the first time that this has happened for the Netherlands.
Apple Pay currently has 127 million global users, although only 16 percent of iPhones use the service, according to a Loup Ventures report last month.
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4 Comments
This would be sooo nice. Banks over here are a bit the same as the Australians...
Quoting news from a website that usually quotes AI, this must come true (at some point)
Where did AppleInsider find a reference to Belgium in this story? (Trying not to get my hopes up ;) )
iPhone user usage of Apple Pay comes down to habits.
When Apple Pay first came out I jumped onboard, only to find very few merchants even knew about it, let alone were setup for it. After a while, because I found I needed my cards despite being Apple Pay capable, I found myself reaching for my cards before thinking about Apple Pay.
Until the vast majority (90+%?) of retail stores accept Apple Pay it will be necessary to carry your physical credit/debit cards with you, but once that penetration level is reached Apple Pay usage will skyrocket. I'm thinking 3 more years.