Apple Partnering With American Express to Bring Apple Pay to Canada, Australia, Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong

During today's earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a partnership with American Express that will bring the Apple Pay to customers in "key global markets."

Under the partnership, Apple Pay will be available to eligible American Express customers in Canada and Australia later this year, and access will expand to Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong beginning in 2016.

apple pay wwdc 2015
Since its launch in the United States in 2014, the international rollout of Apple Pay has been slow. Customers in the United Kingdom gained access to Apple Pay in July, but aside from the U.S. and the UK, Apple Pay has not yet expanded to additional countries.

It is not clear when other banks and credit card companies in Australia, Canada, and other above listed countries will begin accepting Apple Pay, making the initial Apple Pay rollout in those countries somewhat limited.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
iPhone Siri Glow

Apple Will Reportedly Let iPhone Users in the EU Switch Away From Siri

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:31 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to give users in the EU the ability to set a default voice assistant other than Siri, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. In a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today, Gurman and Bennett said Apple plans to introduce this change across multiple software platforms, which likely means the iPhone, iPad, and Mac at a minimum. ...

Top Rated Comments

pgiguere1 Avatar
125 months ago
I'm Canadian and I don't think I know a single person using an American Express credit card.

Here half of retailers accepting credit cards don't accept Amex, which makes it not super useful. Everybody seems to be using Visa or MasterCard.

This is also not useful for Americans visiting Canada since they could already use ApplePay here.

So yeah, it's pretty pointless... I'd be curious to know if this is also the case for the other listed countries.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Playgear Avatar
125 months ago
Hopefully the banks of Australia suck up their pride and give in soon after.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuspiciousWink Avatar
125 months ago
Ugh pathetic for Australia. Partner with the banks instead.

Amex is probably the least used, most over priced and definitely the least accepted credit card company in Australia.

Hopefully the banks, many of whom already offer NFC payments to Android customers through their own apps and universally by adhesive NFC tags, will get off their little moral high horse and let Apple in for a bit!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newdeal Avatar
125 months ago
I am guessing canadian banks are holding it up and so they can do Amex because Amex doesn't operate through banks in Canada. Unfortunately most retailers have tap to pay in Canada and most of them also don't accept Amex cards due to the high fees and low penetration in the canadian market
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JXShine Avatar
125 months ago
Sigh Apple, get your **** together. No one uses AMEX in Canada, work out something with the banks! Tim Cook may be a great businessman, but when it comes to negotiations, he is way worse than Steve Jobs.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattyu007 Avatar
125 months ago
I'm Canadian and I don't think I know a single person using an American Express credit card.

Here half of retailers accepting credit cards don't accept Amex, which makes it not super useful. Everybody seems to be using Visa or MasterCard.
I'm pretty sure it's well above 75% or 80% who don't accept Amex. And since Costco switched its card from Amex to MasterCard, everyone I know who had an Amex card has cancelled their cards and switched to either MasterCard or Visa.

This joke is even more frustrating than no announcement at all.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)