Final 'big four' Australian bank folds, announces Apple Pay rollout by mid-2020
Westpac, Australia's second-largest bank, on Thursday announced upcoming support for Apple Pay, making it the last of the country's so-called "big four" banks to adopt Apple's mobile payments solution after holding out for years.
Apple Pay is now available for ancillary brands St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne, with support from Westpac expected in mid-2020, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Integration with Westpac systems will take longer than its regional offshoots because the financial institution relies on a different banking platform, a spokesperson told the publication. The company decided to roll out Apple Pay at smaller banks first as it works to make the service available as quickly as possible.
"We want to assure Westpac customers we are working to bring them Apple Pay as quickly as possible, while we roll-out the technology across our different banking platforms," said David Lindberg, Westpac's chief executive of consumer banking.
With today's announcement, St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne customers can provision eligible Visa debit or credit cards with Apple Pay for use in contactless transactions with iPhone or Apple Watch, as well as online purchases.
Westpac is the last "big four" bank to adopt Apple Pay after the bloc attempted to boycott the payments technology in a failed bid for access to iPhone's NFC chip. The banks sought to protect their bargaining position by pushing for the installation of non-Apple Pay software on Apple hardware.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission denied the banks' request in a draft determination in 2016 before issuing a final determination in 2017.
During the standoff, ANZ broke rank and became the first Australian bank to support Apple Pay. After the ACCC denial, Commonwealth Bank of Australia activated support in January of 2019, while the National Australia Bank followed suit in May.
Apple Pay is now available for ancillary brands St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne, with support from Westpac expected in mid-2020, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Integration with Westpac systems will take longer than its regional offshoots because the financial institution relies on a different banking platform, a spokesperson told the publication. The company decided to roll out Apple Pay at smaller banks first as it works to make the service available as quickly as possible.
"We want to assure Westpac customers we are working to bring them Apple Pay as quickly as possible, while we roll-out the technology across our different banking platforms," said David Lindberg, Westpac's chief executive of consumer banking.
With today's announcement, St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne customers can provision eligible Visa debit or credit cards with Apple Pay for use in contactless transactions with iPhone or Apple Watch, as well as online purchases.
Westpac is the last "big four" bank to adopt Apple Pay after the bloc attempted to boycott the payments technology in a failed bid for access to iPhone's NFC chip. The banks sought to protect their bargaining position by pushing for the installation of non-Apple Pay software on Apple hardware.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission denied the banks' request in a draft determination in 2016 before issuing a final determination in 2017.
During the standoff, ANZ broke rank and became the first Australian bank to support Apple Pay. After the ACCC denial, Commonwealth Bank of Australia activated support in January of 2019, while the National Australia Bank followed suit in May.
Comments
Good! If consumers want something other than Apple Pay, they can buy a different device. Simple.
...are you tho? Calendar says no, not as quickly as possible at all.
Having said all that, though, "HEY, TIM COOK, CAN WE NOW GET THE ECG FUNCTION ACTIVATED ON OUR APPLE WATCHES DOWN HERE?"
I haven't had to use a bank card anywhere for a couple of years now. Public Transport/Drivers Licence is the last remaining hurdle for most. But I just keep those cards with my phone.
You greedy, clueless, cartel wankers! Goodbye
Still, six months because their infrastructure is ancient. That’s kind of annoying. That their infrastructure is ancient, that is. I’m getting by with my AmEx mostly.
I don't know where you are geographically, but if you're near a Wawa (Philly area and expanding across Florida), they support ApplePay. I specifically go there for gas as a result, so the rest of the stations that either don't support it (or don't tell me they do) are losing out.
We don’t love you banks, it’s a transactional arrangement. We care much more about our communication devices than our banks.
Good on ya Westpac, you’re really on the pulse of what people want.
as a rule if a brick and mortar location wants my repeat business they’d better accept Apple Pay.