Apple Pay in Canada Expected for Late October or Early November: Sources

Update 2: Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms Apple Pay coming to Canada for eligible American Express cardholders.

Update: TD Canada Trust accidentally leaked Apple Pay is coming to Canada.

Apple Pay could be coming to Canada this fall, according to trusted sources familiar with the matter, corroborating the potential November timeline first reported by the Wall Street Journal this spring.

Numerous payment processor companies have already started to advertise their point-of-sale terminals will be compatible with Apple Pay. Currently contactless payments under $100 are accepted but transactions over this threshold are currently being worked on, with one payment processor set to meet with Apple in early October.

Apple Pay will be soft launched at Apple retail stores and select restaurant chains once the mobile payment goes live, potentially at the end of October, say sources.

We’ve already seen Desjardins advertise support for Apple Pay with their Monetico Mobile+ payment system, while last month payment processor Moneris (the RBC/BMO joint venture) told merchants how to prepare for Apple Pay’s inevitable arrival.

The Apple Pay timeline could change, but as of now we’re told late October or early November would be the potential launch window. We will find out more info in the next couple weeks we’re told.

Apple Pay has been rumoured to launch next in China. If Apple were to announce Apple Pay for China, it would be a major announcement that would deserve time on stage, so stay tuned to see if the company holds a fall Mac event or not.

Last year, Apple sent out invites on October 8 for their special event held at the company’s Cupertino headquarters on October 16. Here, we saw new iPads, a refresh to the Mac mini, a new 5K Retina iMac—and the launch date of Apple Pay for the US (Oct. 20).

Canadians with supported US credit cards have long been using Apple Pay at retailers with supported NFC POS terminals.

Keep your eyes peeled on the first week of October, because if something is going to happen, we should see invites sent out then to give enough time for new products to emerge for the prized holiday shopping season.

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