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Apple Pay Launches in Iceland

Wednesday May 8, 2019 3:32 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple Pay arrived unexpectedly in Iceland today, allowing bank customers to use Apple's mobile payment system for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch wherever they see the contactless logo.


International payment solutions company Valitor is said to have played a key role in bringing Apple Pay to the country, with Landsbankinn and Arion banki among the first Icelandic banks to announce support for the digital wallet.

As to which country will get the next Apple Pay rollout, it's currently a toss-up between The Netherlands and Portugal, where regional banks have teased that Apple's contactless payment system is "coming soon."

Apple Pay first launched in the United States in October 2014 and is also available in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in March that Apple Pay will be available in more than 40 countries and regions by the end of 2019.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Iceland
[ 32 comments ]


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SBlue1
2 weeks ago
Just came here for the dutch comments... :D
Rating: 5 Votes
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simonmet
2 weeks ago

I hope this means a launch in the Netherlands is very close..


I hope for your sake you get it soon too. It’s a revelation and I can’t live without it. I use it for 95% of purchases and even changed banks to access it in Australia.

It’s also way more secure than physical bank cards. If you lose a bank card or it gets skimmed/duplicated you have to suspend most access to your account and it takes a week or more to get a replacement. No wonder people want NFC purchasing in phones.

I rarely even bother taking a physical card out anymore unless I know I need cash, but many banks do cardless cash withdrawal at ATMs now too, just not mine yet unfortunately.
Rating: 4 Votes
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maartenz95
2 weeks ago
I hope this means a launch in the Netherlands is very close..
Rating: 4 Votes
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Gesturthor
2 weeks ago

When did they announce it was coming to Iceland?

Asking because a local bank in Portugal announced on April 12th that Apple Pay was coming soon and up until now it’s nowhere to be seen.

How long between the announcement and the actual launch?


It was announced this morning around 8am. It is a total suprise. The infrastructure has been ready for few years, so it was a matter of Apple and the banks to make a deal.
Rating: 3 Votes
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jdmachogg
2 weeks ago

You have omitted Czechia, Austria etc… Well, that's Central Europe, who would bother with these countries. :(


++ Germany. It's the second time they have. MacRumors editors aren't the sharpest tools in the box.
Rating: 3 Votes
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iBluetooth
2 weeks ago

When did they announce it was coming to Iceland?

Asking because a local bank in Portugal announced on April 12th that Apple Pay was coming soon and up until now it’s nowhere to be seen.

How long between the announcement and the actual launch?

They never announced, as far as I know, it just appeared this morning in the app and the news. Very nice surprise!
Rating: 2 Votes
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Aslevik
2 weeks ago

('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/08/apple-pay-launches-in-iceland/')
is also available in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.


And Norway, you forgot Norway!
Rating: 2 Votes
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iBluetooth
2 weeks ago

Til hamingju Ísland!
[doublepost=1557348185][/doublepost]The country launch isn't so important as the bank and retailer uptake.
I'm in New Zealand, who've had it for a few years now, and my bank (Kiwi Bank) still don't offer it.
Westpac & ANZ are the only 2 banks here to offer Apple Pay. It was just ANZ until Westpac recently gave in and joined. This is all due to the Australian cartel of banks trying to force Apple to "let them in" on NFC.
Recently a retailer told me that the "Pay Wave" (contactless pay point) system costs more per transaction which is why so many retailers here in NZ don't offer it.
So the real news in any country announcement is how many banks (or what percentage) ?

⅔ of main banks, or 66%. That lone bank was asked when they would support it. They got cought, Oops, so they said they were working on it and gave few weeks until ready. Someone didn’t do his job there!
[doublepost=1557350034][/doublepost]

Another 200,000 adult users, potentially. And that's not counting tourists from nearby continents.

Go, Tim, go!

Actually Apple Pay worked in Iceland for tourists with foreign ApplePay cards for two years until now, that the locals can use it
Rating: 2 Votes
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Robert.Walter
2 weeks ago
Hey Liechtenstein!

Wake up to Apple Pay. Stop letting the Swiss Banking Kartell dictate to you.

If Iceland can launch it, LLB and LGT at minimum can too!

Time for Apple Pay Maestro or MasterCard debit cards with Apple Pay. (Also Apple Pay ATM authentication.)
Rating: 1 Votes
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simonmet
2 weeks ago
Pretty sure that in banking lingo “coming soon” probably means “probably this year”.

Let’s hope it’s not an Apple AirPower “coming soon”.

:p
Rating: 1 Votes

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