14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s contactless payment service, which currently works only in the United States, is about to undergo an expansion to Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa.
The information was leaked by Apple itself, which said in a job posting on its web site that it was hiring a London-based intern to “drive out the roll-out” of Apple Pay across the aforementioned territories.
The ad specifically said that “Apple Pay is a new and exciting area in Apple that is set to expand across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. Apple Pay will change the way consumers pay with breakthrough contactless payment technology and unique security features built right into their iPhone 6 or Apple Watch to pay in an easy, secure, and private way.”
What this means for you
The concept behind Apple Pay is not exactly a novelty to Americans, but there are many countries around the world that have yet to implement contactless payment readers in stores as a general practice.
If you own an iPhone with a Touch ID fingerprint, when Apple Pay rolls out in your country you’ll be able to check out of the store by simply hovering with your iDevice over a sensor. The payment confirmation is made via your Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
On iPads, Apple Pay works to buy things online. It can’t be used like the iPhone in stores because, at the moment, none of the iPad models sold by Apple have NFC technology in them. Apple Watch, however, does.
While the wearable doesn’t have a fingerprint reader, it does have a button that can be pressed to confirm a purchase. Users will just double‑click the button next to the Digital Crown, hold the face of the watch near the contactless reader, and the transaction will be completed in seconds. The device will confirm that the payment information has been sent by generating a gentle pulse along with a beeping sound.
When the service went live on October 20, Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, said, “Our team has worked incredibly hard to make Apple Pay private and secure, with the simplicity of a single touch of your finger. The reaction to Apple Pay has been amazing. We continue to add more Apple Pay ready banks, credit card companies and merchants, and think our users will love paying with Apple Pay.”
Apple Pay works with Passbook on your iDevice, allowing you to store a credit card and never pull out your wallet ever again.
