applepayjapanApple Pay is expanding to three new countries this fall, including New Zealand, Russia, and Japan. Apple today confirmed its plans to bring Apple Pay to Japan on stage at its iPhone 7 event, while the Russia and New Zealand Apple Pay sites were updated with info on an imminent launch.

As was previously reported, Apple Pay in Japan will be implemented through a partnership with Sony and an iPhone 7 with support for the FeliCa tap-to-pay format, which has been widely adopted in the country. Apple Pay, which will work with Suica, will be coming to Japan in October.

Apple Pay is accepted anywhere Suica is available, so users can make quick everyday purchases and buy or reload a Suica card or commuter pass, all with their iPhone. Japan's major financial brands will also support Apple Pay, so shoppers can make purchases in many of the country's largest stores, at neighborhood shops and restaurants, and from their favorite online merchants.

Apple Pay in Japan will support credit and prepaid cards issued by AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, Orient Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Toyota Finance, UC Cards and View Card, and carriers KDDI, NTT Docomo, and Softbank.

Apple Pay will be coming to New Zealand through a partnership with ANZ, and it will initially be limited to ANZ customers. A launch date has not been announced but it is expected to be released in October.

"Our customers in the nine markets around the world where Apple Pay is live today love how convenient it makes their day-to-day shopping, and we can't wait to bring Apple Pay to New Zealand so customers there can start making easy, secure and private payments in their favourite stores, apps and on the web," said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, in a statement.

Details on Apple Pay in Russia are limited with no word on which banks it will work with, but the service is expected to debut before the end of the year.

Apple Pay is currently available in nine countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, and Singapore. Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has said Apple is "working rapidly" to expand the service to additional countries in Asia and Europe.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Top Rated Comments

mackiwilad Avatar
95 months ago
So excited! Finally we get ApplePay in NZ!
Contactless terminals are fairly widespread here so it shouldn't be hard to start using it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
offshoreyachty Avatar
95 months ago
Going to be complex observing the payment card sanctions regime in Russia as it depends on both card issuer and processing bank. And then, theres the whole issue of being required to store the data on RF servers
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tillsbury Avatar
95 months ago
Brilliant. Time to open an ANZ account and gradually transfer from all the other banks...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
okwhatev Avatar
95 months ago
Too bad only the Japanese version will have the Felicia chip. Would've been nice to use this feature when I travel there.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mikecorp Avatar
95 months ago
Why not EUROPE?????
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tillsbury Avatar
95 months ago
Pretty much zero, yes. I haven't seen Amex used seriously since the 1980s either here or in the UK. Everyone uses EFTPOS for almost all transactions of all values, although tap and go (contactless) is gaining traction and I'd say is available at probably half the retail locations in NZ. Many people (myself included) haven't used cash for a decade or more.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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