Apple Pay comes to 26 more US banks & credit unions

AppleInsider

On top of reaching Italy, Apple Pay is now available through 26 more U.S. financial institutions, as well as a single extra card issuer in China.

Continuing trends, most of the U.S. additions are highly localized -- such as the Red River Credit Union, which only operates branches in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas. National banks were typically signed up within months of Apple Pay's Oct. 2014 launch, and since then hundreds of regional institutions have joined.

The one new Chinese issuer is Liaoning Rural Credit Cooperatives, though the country already has dozens of others onboard. Apple Pay first arrived in China in Feb. 2016.

The full list of U.S. additions includes:

• Blackhawk Bank & Trust
• Capital Community Bank
• Central Bank of IA
• Chemical Bank
• Columbia Bank [now NJ and OR]
• Commercial State Bank
• County Credit Union
• El Paso Area Teachers Federal Credit Union
• Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union
• First Colony Bank of Florida
• First National Bank of Picayune
• Minnequa Works Credit Union
• North Island Financial Credit Union
• Peoples Bank of the South
• Peoples Savings Bank
• Prime Financial Credit Union
• Red River Credit Union
• San Juan Credit Union
• Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union
• Texas Citizens Bank
• Town and Country and Peoples Prosperity Bank
• Tradition Capital Bank
• UNCLE Credit Union
• Unitus Community Credit Union
• Voyage Federal Credit Union
• Wasatch Peaks Credit Union

The Italian launch is being backed by just three institutions, namely Boon, Carrefour, and UniCredit. It does however put Apple Pay in 16 markets worldwide, with Germany perhaps being next on the slate.

rob53

It's about time. UNCLE credit union is based in Livermore, CA, an hour from Apple headquarters. Most of the members work at LLNL, once the largest single site installation of Macs in the country (late '90s). Of course that doesn't seem to make any difference to banking types.

crabby

I do not need more banks. I need MANY more retailers who are capable. 

macgui

The Bank of U.N.C.L.E.?

crabby said:

I do not need more banks. I need MANY more retailers who are capable. 

Yes, give me vendors, that's what I want!

jbdragon

crabby said:

I do not need more banks. I need MANY more retailers who are capable. 

Need to get the banks on board. Places that accept Apple Pay keep growing. I look for the NFC symbol which looks like the wifi symbol in the iPhone turned sideways. It took many, many years to get most all businesses with Terminals to take Credit and Debit cards. 20 years ago I still Remember the place I was working at had no terminal machine, we used Carbon paper and a card roller. That's why credit card numbers are Raised up like they are to this day. At least MOST of them still are. Some are just flush with the surface now like everything else. Some of the places I go to where it works is McDonald's of course, Subway, Macy's, Food 4 Less, Rayley's, Mountain Mikes Pizza, Round Table Pizza, Best Buy, etc. There's a long ways to go of course but will take time. Most of Canada, Apple Pay works at as NFC is everywhere like many other countries. It's just not going to happen overnight. I think it'll be over the hump and more mainstream when Wal-Mart drops their dumb QR code garbage and accepts NFC transactions also!!! I do use Apple Pay on my Apple Watch as much as possible. I try it all over. Some places they've told me it doesn't work and then BAM it does. So you can't even take their word for it. Most of the time when I see the NFC symbol and try it, it works!!! Sometimes it doesn't at that time, but who knows a few months later. If you try and it fails, they may tel their boss who may just enable it to work and next time you go it does.

ignomini

crabby said:

I do not need more banks. I need MANY more retailers who are capable. 

+10k

I know a grand total of three places in my area where I can use Apple pay. Oh wait, the local Albertsons just dropped it. Make that two. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but nobody supports it at the retail level. Don't even bother trying any more. I got tired of making people wait while I waived my phone around for no reason. I'm sure the inner city Starf@cks customers are happy, but in the real world, retailers accepting Apple pay are a rarity.

metalcase

More retailers, for sure.  But I would also love to see them concentrate on more in app Apple Pay.  Several sit down restaurants around me are starting to add the ability to pay your check inside their app, but then they save your cc info. Apple Pay would be so much better and quicker!