Russia joined the Apple Pay club today, becoming the 10th major region to gain access to the mobile payment service (via Reuters).
The introduction of Apple Pay was announced on Apple's regional website, where it was revealed that the system would come via Mastercard and through Moscow-based Sberbank.
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According to Sberbank, Apple Pay can be easily set up in the Sberbank Online mobile application, which will be familiar to all Sberbank cardholders. Users can then use the contactless payment service while continuing to receive all the benefits from using their credit and debit cards.
If rollouts in other countries are any indication, additional credit card operators and regional financial institutions are expected to gain access over the coming months.
Upon launch of Apple Pay in Russia, participating retailers include ATAK, Magnit, Media Markt, Auchan, Azbuka Vkusa, bp, M.Video, TsUM and authorized Apple reseller re:Store. Contactless payments are expected to roll out at Electronics store Eldorado and Burger King in the near future.
With the introduction of macOS 10.12, web-based payments have become another feature of Apple Pay. However it remains to be seen when Russian apps and online vendors will support this or other in-app methods of online payment.
Apple announced its intention to bring the system to Russia during its iPhone 7 event last month, where it also said New Zealand would see Apple Pay come to its shores in the near future.
The ten countries Apple Pay is available in include 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.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Should read "available* in the United States." Sure it's here but it's far from being an accepted way to pay in most stores -- at the the ones I shop at least. When is the last time a major retailer signed up? Still waiting for Home Depot and the big grocery chains. Not having Target or CVS is a huge ding on ApplePay too.
It's funny how there are hundreds of banks offering it in the US and very few places you can use it, but in Europe NFC is old news and is supported almost everywhere, but just few banks offer it.Stuck in last decade? On the contrary, Apple Pay is mostly useful in countries where they still use the ancient magnetic strip swipe. This is a significant security issue which Apple Pay solves. Scandinavian banks, oth, employ the chip & pin system (and has done so for at least a decade) which is much more secure and also more convenient than the magnetic strip which means the most important benefit of Apple Pay would make very little difference there.
Wow, really? Chip and pin requires a card and even you have NFC enabled card you still need a card. Apple Pay removes most of the card fraud. since banks don't do it for free neither should Apple. What kind of stupid argument is that?Scandinavian customers are perfectly happy using chip & pin so there's very little incentive for the banks to start sharing their transaction fees with Apple.
The slow uptake suggests the payments industry is resisting change, but thankfully, it is slowly failing.
"With the introduction of macOS 12.12"
We are all running 13.13 already, please keep up to date...you are missing out...lots of useless features ;)Wow! A new macOS, and they're missed the 11th edition too! Courage!