Apple may have had the right NFC hardware to support advanced payment systems, but it was only in iOS 18 that the company introduced ‘Tap to Pay’ for iPhones, and now, it is expanding to more regions in Europe. However, Apple’s latest tap feature for paying merchants is not yet widely available to all services, as it will only allow the experience for supported payment platforms.
Despite this, Apple is already rapidly expanding its cardless and wireless payment feature for the iPhones that will allow users to simply use their smartphones for different transactions, as well as easily add cards to use for the service.
Apple Expands Tap to Pay Supported Countries in Europe
Apple announced that it is bringing over the iPhone’s Tap to Pay feature to five more countries in Europe, and according to 9to5Mac, it allows more users to enjoy the smartphone payment solution in further regions. This includes the likes of Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, and Sweden whose users can now use the iPhones for payments, without the need for terminals or point-of-sale (POS) devices.
This latest feature introduced by the Cupertino tech giant via iOS 18 expands more of its capabilities for users to enjoy, and it has a wide range of eligibility as smartphones from the iPhone XS and later may be able to use it.
Moreover, Apple also promises privacy and security with each transaction as Tap to Pay will be processed via the ‘Secure Element’ technology that is available on A-series chipsets found on iPhones.
Read Also: Apple M4 Mac Mini’s Smaller Size Is a Bigger Deal Than What You Imagine, Here’s Why
Tap to Pay Also Partners with New Payment Platforms
According to Apple, payment partners including Adyen, SumUp, and Viva.com are the three platforms that are the first to offer their services to all five countries. Moreover, there are also other payment platforms like Stripe, Global Payments with Erste Bank, Nexi, Revolut, myPOS, PAYONE, and more to offer this in select countries.
Apple’s Tap to Pay Has Been Long Anticipated
The Tap to Pay feature has long been exclusive to Apple Pay, but the company is now expanding its features to other payment platforms and regions in the world, further reducing its exclusivity. However, one of the biggest reasons for Apple’s opening up of several of its services was because of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, allowing developers and platforms to take advantage of the iPhone’s NFC chip.
However, the good thing is, that the Tap to Pay rollout was made available to different countries and not made exclusive to the EU, despite its DMA being one of the top reasons that forced Apple’s hand. Canada is another country, outside the United States and Europe, to feature Tap to Pay, but this will be available to select payment platforms as of the time being and may expand to more partners.
The massive changes made by Apple not only made Tap to Pay open cards or services to take advantage of Apple Pay, but third-party platforms may also access this feature straight from their apps, considering they are partnered with Apple and are installed on the user’s device. Now, Apple has made yet again another massive move to expand Tap to Pay to five more countries in Europe, as well as new payment partners.
