Apple Pay is set to launch in Canada starting November 17. This service extension was initially announced in October, when Tim Cook revealed that Apple Pay would be available to Canadian American Express customers in Canada and Australia in the later part of 2015.
Apple Pay Hits a Third and Fourth Country
Apple Pay was first introduced to the US through the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, and the same feature will be spread out to the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini 4 and 4, which will all be able to make in-app purchases through Apple Pay.
It’s likely that the company saw that in order to get the best out of Apple Pay, it had to go international, much like Google’s Android Pay and Samsung Pay have. Unlike either of those services, though, Apple has relatively high fees per transaction, which is why more businesses haven’t jumped on the Apple Pay boat. Apple gets a .15% cut for every transaction made through Apple Pay, which countries like China and Australia are not up for.
AmEx Puts Apple Pay’s Foot on Canadian and Australian Doors
Canada doesn’t need Apple Pay; in fact, the amount of American Express customers in Canada is astoundingly low. But this strategy is only to test out both the service and the company’s partnership with American Express.
This is only the beginning, since Apple hopes to spread to more AmEx customers around the globe. The outreach to Canada is likely a starting point where Canadian businesses will have the opportunity to bring in Apple Pay if they choose.
Meanwhile, Apple Pay will also be available to American Express cardholders in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2016.
