Apple Pay adds support for 13 new US banks and credit unions

AppleInsider

Piling on to what has already been a big day for Apple Pay, Apple on Tuesday announced a U.S. expansion of payment services that includes support from 13 new banks and credit unions, bringing the total up to nearly 1,375 financial institutions.

Apple revealed the changes in an update to its running list of participating Apple Pay providers. As usual, credit unions make up a bulk of today's additions:

• First Basin Credit Union
  
• First Federal Bank of Wisconsin
  
• Guardian Credit Union
  
• Mass Bay Credit Union
  
• Minnco Credit Union
  
• North Shore Bank of Commerce
  
• Phelps County Bank
  
• Proponent Federal Credit Union
  
• Resource Bank
  
• Seaside National Bank & Trust
  
• South Bay Credit Union
  
• Texas Tech Credit Union
  
• Valley Federal Credit Union

The U.S. update comes on the heels of bigger news. Earlier today, Apple activated Apple Pay in France, the product's eighth launch market, then in Hong Kong just a few hours later. Like recent international introductions, both countries net initial integration with Mastercard and Visa credit cards, while users in Hong Kong also get support for American Express.

Apple is ramping up efforts to build out Apple Pay in Asia and Europe as competitors Google and Samsung bring their own touchless payment solutions to market. Apple Pay launched in 2014, though the expansion process has proved difficult. So far, Apple has brokered deals to bring the service to Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.

As for the U.S. market, Apple last updated its support website in June with the addition of 44 banks and credit unions.

applesauce007

1.  When you get a new credit card, make sure it supports ApplePay.

2,  Get rid of your old credit cards that dos not yet support ApplePay.

6Sgoldfish

Remember that failed shoehorned attempt called CurrentC? That's right, me neither 

mac fan

If you bank supports Apple Pay, wouldn't their credit card do so, too? We need more vendors/merchants to support it, and NCF payments in general. Plus lots of signage. When credit cards first started, there were signs on doors of merchants saying "We Accept...". I can't remember the last time I saw one, credit cards being so ubiquitous. I've never seen anyone use Apple Pay but me. I've never seen anyone use any other kind of NFC/contact payment either. Maybe when CVS finishes its "OOPS!" beta test, there will be a little more exposure. There are a lot of ducks to get in a row. Banks have to support it, vendors have to (in many cases) buy new updated readers, management has to make it known it's available, and it wouldn't hurt to have employees get good training on what these payments are and how to process them. Still having to sign in some places may negate a little of the speed and ease, but there's still the significant security aspect. Is anybody familiar with the reader shown in the pic? I can't tell that it's a contact reader from what I see. If I know it's NFC capable, I'll try it to see if it works.

rogifan_new

Now we need more retailers accepting it.

razormaid

I wish PayPal would stop punishing its businesses and allow our debit cards to be made available for Pay option. I like many others closed my checking account due to fees for "lack of use" once they offered us debit cards. Since all our money was coming in through PayPal it was stupid to transfer to checking accounts at that point. It's true places like QT gas stations only charge $2.50 for withdrawals and we can take out up to $400 a day it would just be simplier to have the PayPal debit card selected as primary instead

i know after reading statements on the PayPal forum the second Apple offers a debit card we're out of there - gone!

webraider

All I read are articles about banks that support it.  What I should be reading is a much bigger list of VENDORS who support it.  Until then it's barely usable.