Apple Pay has launched in Canada, just as promised – with support from American Express. The move comes as support for the service continues to expand in the US, where it was first launched last fall, with over 100 new card issuers climbing aboard.
Right now, Amex card users are the only ones in Canada with access to Apple Pay – an easy way to get the ball rolling, since American Express issues its own payment cards, whereas other major credit card companies operate through regional banks. But that will soon change, with TD Canada Trust recently having accidentally posted an Apple Pay section on its website, which was quickly removed.
The Canadian market could offer a small advantage to Apple Pay over the US one in the sense that the NFC POS technology needed for merchants to accept Apple Pay mPayments is comparatively widespread. But the American situation is changing, with Global News reporting that while only 200,000 US merchants had compatible POS technology at the service’s launch, there should be over 1.5 million such merchants by the end of this year. And major chains continue to sign up, with Domino’s asserting its pizza chain will offer Apple Pay support this year, and Cinnabon promising support sometime next year.
Source: Global News
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