Apple Pay Gets ‘Smooth Entry’ Into Norway

Apple Pay has made it to Norway, launching in the country with the support of Nordea Bank, Santander Bank and Sbanken. The banks are allowing customers to upload their Mastercard, Visa, and debit cards to Apple’s biometrically secured mobile payments platform.

Meanwhile, Danish merchant acquirer Clearhaus says it’s extending Apple Pay support across Norway-based online merchants. In announcing its support, the company asserted that Norwegians are particularly fond of Apple products, standing out from other Europeans in their preference for iOS over Android. Clearhaus said these consumer trends “indicate a smooth entry for Apple Pay” in the Norwegian market, adding that it has enabled Apple Pay support for over 5,000 online shops in Denmark, Sweden, and the UK.

The prominence of NFC payment terminals in Norway should also help to fuel adoption of the app, which requires the technology for its contactless payments.

Apple Pay’s arrival in Norway comes soon after its launch in Ukraine in May. That launch came hot on the heels of an earnings call in which Apple CEO Tim Cook said the mobile payments platform would soon come to Ukraine, Norway, and Poland, suggesting that a launch in the latter country is probably imminent.

Sources: 9to5Mac, Tek.no