Apple Pay Launches in Australia for American Express Cardholders

[MacRumors]

Apple Pay has launched in Australia in partnership with American Express, expanding iPhone-based mobile payments to a fourth country following Canada earlier this week. The service can be used at Coles, Harvey Norman, Kmart, McDonald's, Starbucks, Woolworths and other select Australian stores that accept American Express and have NFC-equipped payment terminals.

American Express cardholders can add credit cards in the Wallet app on iOS 9.1 by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option. Apple Pay currently only works with cards issued directly by American Express, and not bank-issued cards like the CommBank Awards American Express or Westpac Altitude Black American Express cards.

Apple says Australian customers will "soon" be able to add store credit cards and loyalty cards to Wallet, and use them to make purchases and redeem rewards with Apple Pay. Kohl's became the first U.S. retailer to offer store-branded cards in Apple Pay last month, while Walgreens launched the first stateside Apple Pay loyalty rewards program a few weeks ago.

American Express is not as popular or widely accepted as MasterCard or Visa in Australia, but the partnership could place pressure on negotiations between Apple and Australian banks like Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac. No bank-issued debit and credit cards work with Apple Pay in Australia at this time.

#ApplePay day is here in Australia. pic.twitter.com/8C5XfSnpWv - Mike Boyd (@mike_boyd) November 18, 2015

Australia, like Canada and many European countries, has been well prepared for Apple Pay, as many retailers and businesses have the required contactless payments infrastructure in place. The country has also adopted Chip-and-PIN cards, and Apple Pay is a natural extension of that functionality.

Apple has slowly rolled out Apple Pay since announcing the service, starting with the U.S. in October 2014 and expanding to the U.K. last July. Beyond Australia and Canada, Apple is also partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year.

Apple Pay recently gained support for Tesco Bank and TSB in the U.K. and over 90 new participating U.S. issuers. Yesterday, Apple confirmed that Apple Pay support is also coming to Domino's and Cinnabon in the U.S. by yearend and 2016 respectively. Starbucks, KFC and Chili's locations will adopt Apple Pay next year.

Apple's website has a new page with more details about Apple Pay in Australia.

Article Link: Apple Pay Launches in Australia for American Express Cardholders

 

[landroverz7]

Just added my AMEX card here in Melbourne its 6:45am. Need to wait for the shops to open to try it out haha

 

[aristobrat]

Just added my AMEX card here in Melbourne its 6:45am. Need to wait for the shops to open to try it out haha

There's got to be a coffee shop open near you?! GO TEST! lol

 

[MLVC]

It's going so slowly. What about Germany, Holland, France? It's not the banks, I know my bank in Holland is all too keen to start with ApplePay, so what the hell is holding it back?

 

[JonneyGee]

Australia still has Kmart and Woolworth's?

 

[nepalisherpa]

It's going to be a "g'day, mate".

 

[Kittenyarn]

There's got to be a coffee shop open near you?! GO TEST! lol

The hilarious thing is a coffee shop probably doesn't support Amex.. So... Fail.

 

[McFlyOz]

Just added my AMEX card here in Melbourne its 6:45am. Need to wait for the shops to open to try it out haha

There's always CrapDonalds if you are desperate for some lard and rat guts...

 

[AussieSimon]

I presume we're only talking about AMEX-issued AMEX cards, not bank-issued AMEX cards?

 

[tillsbury]

Hassled my bank manager here in NZ again for it yesterday. All the NZ banks pretty much are owned by the Aussie banks so here's hoping. And places that don't do tap and pay are now quite the rarity.

 

[naeS1Sean]

I love living in America. lol

 

[avanpelt]

ApplePay is infinitely more useful in Australia, Canada, and the UK when cards are loaded into the iPhone than it is here in the U.S. I have every single Amex and Visa card I own linked to ApplePay and almost nowhere to use ApplePay except for fast food joints. And Apple's big news is that Dominos, KFC, Chili's and Cinnabon will be supporting ApplePay soon. Great...even more places to use the technology that my waistline doesn't need.

 

[naeS1Sean]

Australia still has Kmart and Woolworth's?

We have a Kmart in PA, USA. Actually more than one. I so hate that store. I saw someone (and adult)...I'll say...using the bathroom in the aisle while I was looking for a pair of Dickies. I still have nightmares. lol

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Apple Pay (AU) page now live: http://www.apple.com/au/apple-pay/

 

[MusicEnthusiast]

Starbucks?

 

[entropys]

There must be at least several dozen people in Australia that actively use Amex.

 

[laudern]

Just go to commonwealth bank and get a stick on NFC chip which is compatible with any smart pone. Much better than... Ugh... American express.

 

[BrentD]

... stick on NFC chip which is compatible with any smart pone.

Stick on NFC chip... What could possibly go wrong?!

 

[bumpylumpy]

To those of you who travel abroad frequently - does this mean that my United States issued American Express card can now be used with Apple Pay in Australia and any other foreign country that now allows Apple Pay for their own residents?

Or is this only for Australian American Express card holders to use in their own country?

 

[DamoTheBrave]

The only good that will come of this is that the big four banks here might feel the pressure to add it too. I would change banks for it but I am NOT changing to Amex.

 

[avanpelt]

Just go to commonwealth bank and get a stick on NFC chip which is compatible with any smart pone. Much better than... Ugh... American express.

Or, just tape your card to the outside of your wallet. That's about the level of security that a "stick on" NFC beacon would provide.

 

[ActionableMango]

It's going so slowly. What about Germany, Holland, France? It's not the banks, I know my bank in Holland is all too keen to start with ApplePay, so what the hell is holding it back?

Apple is busy designing watch bands for Apple Watch 2.

 

[avanpelt]

To those of you who travel abroad frequently - does this mean that my United States issued American Express card can now be used with Apple Pay in Australia and any other foreign country that now allows Apple Pay for their own residents?

Or is this only for Australian American Express card holders to use in their own country?

American issued cards should work fine with any merchant that accepts NFC payments currently. U.S.-issued cards linked to ApplePay worked just fine at retailers in Canada who accepted contactless payments when ApplePay was launched last year. It had the same monetary limits as any contactless payment transaction in Canada does. There are a handful of videos on YouTube showing people with U.S.-based cards using ApplePay at vending machines in Canada the day ApplePay launched in the U.S.

 

[TechiEmmanuel]

To those of you who travel abroad frequently - does this mean that my United States issued American Express card can now be used with Apple Pay in Australia and any other foreign country that now allows Apple Pay for their own residents?

Or is this only for Australian American Express card holders to use in their own country?

You've always been able to use Apple Pay anywhere contactless is accepted. I was on holiday in Canada this August and used Apple Pay for most of my purchases. There are also people who've used it in France and other non-Apple Pay markets.

 

[laudern]

Stick on NFC chip... What could possibly go wrong?!

Or, just tape your card to the outside of your wallet. That's about the level of security that a "stick on" NFC beacon would provide.

It probably has the same level of security every single debit/credit card released in the past 2 years has. That being 100% fraudulent guarantee refund from whichever bank supplies the card.