Apple Pay goes live in Singapore with American Express integration, Visa coming soon
Apple on Monday added Singapore to a growing list of locales that offer support for Apple Pay, with customers in the region now able to conduct touchless transactions and in-app purchases thanks to American Express integration.
Apple announced the latest Apple Pay expansion through its regional Singapore website, which notes limited launch support from American Express and a handful of brick-and-mortar stores. AmEx is listed as both the sole credit card issuer and participating bank, though more are listed as "coming soon."
Visa intends to offer credit card support for Apple Pay in the coming months, as do local banks DBS, UOB and Standard Chartered. The companies did not announce an estimated activation date, though past Apple Pay rollouts have seen fairly quick turnaround times.
Retail outlets accepting Apple's NFC-based payments protocol include FairPrice, Shaw Theaters, Starbucks, Starhub, Topshop and Uniqlo, many of which accept Apple Pay at other international locations. Other stores like 7 Eleven, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Food Republic and Toast Box plan to offer support in the coming months.
Unveiled in 2014, Apple Pay initially rolled out in the U.S. as a convenient and safe alternative to physical credit and bank cards. Initially limited to iPhone 6 owners, Apple's touchless payments solution comes built in on all current iPhone models, as well as Apple Watch. In addition, Touch ID-equipped iPads can handle in-app transactions.
After a domestic rollout, Apple Pay arrived in the UK last July, followed by Canada and Australia in November.
Most recently, Apple initiated services in the important Chinese market in February.
Apple announced the latest Apple Pay expansion through its regional Singapore website, which notes limited launch support from American Express and a handful of brick-and-mortar stores. AmEx is listed as both the sole credit card issuer and participating bank, though more are listed as "coming soon."
Visa intends to offer credit card support for Apple Pay in the coming months, as do local banks DBS, UOB and Standard Chartered. The companies did not announce an estimated activation date, though past Apple Pay rollouts have seen fairly quick turnaround times.
Retail outlets accepting Apple's NFC-based payments protocol include FairPrice, Shaw Theaters, Starbucks, Starhub, Topshop and Uniqlo, many of which accept Apple Pay at other international locations. Other stores like 7 Eleven, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Food Republic and Toast Box plan to offer support in the coming months.
Unveiled in 2014, Apple Pay initially rolled out in the U.S. as a convenient and safe alternative to physical credit and bank cards. Initially limited to iPhone 6 owners, Apple's touchless payments solution comes built in on all current iPhone models, as well as Apple Watch. In addition, Touch ID-equipped iPads can handle in-app transactions.
After a domestic rollout, Apple Pay arrived in the UK last July, followed by Canada and Australia in November.
Most recently, Apple initiated services in the important Chinese market in February.
Comments
Please get with the program.
Sincerely,
Me
You can use any US issued cards in Canada on NFC terminals even if Canadian cards don't work (except American Express Cards).
If Singapoore is the same, any US cards would work if there are NFC terminals.
But, I can't garantee it; just saying it looks like a situation similar to the Canadian situation.
Apple pay came to Australia a day late and a buck short. Nfc has been nearly ubiquitous for years.
It's about anonyzed transations and the fact you don't have to actually have the card with you, you can use your watch to pay (or your phone).
i get your point about the scope of Apple Pay but in the context of the article you're just being asinine. Contactless payments is the overwhelming thrust of the article.
They're not going to relinquish this control until it makes fiscal sense. (I.E When they lose enough transactions to Amex to justify supporting the fee that Apple are requesting for Apple Pay.)
So, how can you help get the ball rolling?
Do what I did, I signed up to amex (since they have plenty of $0 fee cards) and cancelled my credit card while (and this part is important) clearly letting them know that I switched to Amex for Apple Pay, and won't consider any of their cards until they support Apple Pay as it's my preferred payment method.
Now here's the second half of what you need to do:
If you're going shopping somewhere that you'd like to use Apple Pay, ask them if they support Amex/Apple Pay. If they say no, leave and go somewhere that does. I've already seen 2 stores in my area start accepting Amex just to get Apple Pay customers. (I know this because they told me.)
The fees a store pays for Amex transactions are not insurmountably larger than what EFTPOS are already charging. Stores that aren't supporting it are just being greedy. (Just like the banks that would rather lose out on super convenient and secure payments rather than harm their end of quarter profits.)
I wish Apple would just focus on, build, highlight, and advertise NFC-compatibility as much it does ApplePay compatibility.
I don't understand your last statement - what do you want Apple to promote about NFC? Is it that by referencing only ApplePay, some users might not know that any terminal which supports contactless payments "should" work? I would think the term "NFC" has less awareness than "ApplePay" now.
Of course the term 'NFC' has less awareness than 'ApplePay' now: but Apple could easily change that. In other words, I am suggesting that Apple should promote and advertise the method of paying, rather than only the 'ApplePay' brand.