Hear that? It’s the sound of Canadian consumers everywhere whipping out their phones and running to the nearest store to purchase something using Apple Pay. Yesterday, two of the Big Five Canadian banks (CIBC and RBC) announced that they were officially supporting Apple Pay – the technology behemoth’s mobile payment solution allowing consumers to pay using their Apple devices. Canadian merchants now have another way to get paid, fast.
Financial institutions Canadian Tire Bank and ATB Financial are also offering Apple Pay to their cardholders, and the remaining three banks, Bank of Montreal, Toronto-Dominion Bank, and Bank of Nova Scotia, have stated on their sites that Apple Pay is coming soon. In other words, Apple Pay has landed in Canada.
Apple Pay’s Canadian expansion has been in progress over the last couple years. Apple Pay was first launched in the U.S. in October 2014 and then launched in Canada in November 2015 only to consumers with non-bank-issued American Express cards.
Consumers of Canada’s leading banks are now able to add their Visa or MasterCard credit cards or Interac debit cards to Apple Pay on compatible Apple devices and start paying for everyday purchases with their phone wherever contactless payments are accepted.
Once a card is inputted, all a consumer has to do to pay is open the app, use the fingerprint ID to verify identity, tap their phone on the terminal, and voila – the payment is complete.
The above photo is of one of our merchants accepting his first Apple Pay purchase. The transaction was completed in seconds, and there was no extra effort needed on his part. The purchase was gummi bears, in case anyone was wondering.
For merchants whose in-store terminals are enabled to accept NFC payments, you’re all set to accept Apple Pay. The terminal is already set up and ready to accept the payment without any effort. Customers will enjoy the convenience of paying with their mobile devices, and you get paid in seconds.