Is Apple Pay coming to Canada? The Wall Street Journal first reported it was coming to Canada as early as November, a timeline corroborated recently by our sources at a payment processor.
We’ve already seen numerous payment processors advertise Apple Pay support and now it’s listed on TD Canada Trust’s website under “Ways to Pay” in the footer. The link to Apple Pay returns a blank page, but this addition is a major hint something is brewing. The URL to the page is:
https://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/electronic-banking/applepay.jsp
TD Canada Trust’s U.S. subsidiary, TD Bank, launched support for Apple Pay last December, leading many to believe a transition into Canada is next for the financial institution.
Last October, Jeff Martin, vice-president and CIO of Direct Channels Technology Solutions at TD Group, said at a conference in Toronto Apple Pay is “at least a year away.”
This April, TD Bank said the launch of Apple Pay “is ultimately Apple’s story to tell,” when asked to respond to rumours of the mobile payment coming to Canada. Back in May, TD CFO Colleen Johnston told BNN “we are working with a broad set of parties out there,” when asked about working with Apple and Apple Pay.
What do you think about this addition to the TD Canada Trust website? Did they just let the cat out of the bag?
Update: Here are screenshots from the Apple Pay website on TD Canada Trust’s page that’s still live. It lists TD Visa cards that support Apple Pay, plus the footnotes say transactions are limited to $100 (subject to change, similar to what our source was saying if you recall) and also denotes the website ApplePay.ca (which is registered to Apple Canada):
Update 2: Apple Pay no longer listed under ‘Ways to Pay’.
Update 3: The TD Canada Trust social media team responded on Twitter to say Apple Pay currently isn’t available in Canada due to the incorrect info posted “temporarily on our website”:
@iPhoneinCanada Apple Pay isn't currently available in Canada.Sorry for any confusion resulting fr incorrect info temporarily on our website
— TD (Canada) (@TD_Canada) October 13, 2015
Thanks @Jon_Miron, @silentkillwr
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checking the other big 6 websites
While I’m still a bit skeptical, this does seem fairly obvious. I can’t see any other reason they’d list that on their site. The coming weeks will tell.
It seems like a sure thing, we should have it up and running before Christmas. 🙂 ?
Still no word.
Looks like we may have a chance Oct 27th at Apple quarterly report after the stock market Bell… If not then, I give up getting Apple pay in Canada anytime soon.
I think we’re expecting too much in looking for an announcement at a specific Apple event. The reality is that it’s up to the banks in Canada, so it will show up when it shows up and it could really happen any time. Apple will likely issue a press release, but I doubt Apple is going to put it off just to make it coincide with when the company is holding an event.
In other words, just because the banks aren’t ready to announce anything tomorrow, Apple isn’t going to say, “Well guys, you missed your chance. Now you have to wait until we hold an event in the spring.”
Wonder how long before it is taken down.
It’s now longer blank theres description of what it is. And it says “Apple Pay coming soon”
*no
Holy crap… My jaw is on the floor!
its no longer blank, go to the site now. took a screen shot before they pull it down.
I dont see Iphone 5s in that list..weird.
Also, is there an Apple event anytime soon?
5s doesn’t have NFC.
apple pay will work with a 5S and an apple watch i believe
I think you should be able to pay with just the watch without any phone as it doesn’t need internet to work (Apple Pay that is). You still can’t pay with a 5S though.
not with a 5S by itself no but a 5s and an apple watch (the watch must be paired)
There are no announced events and it doesn’t seem as if there are any event-worthy products to announce (particularly with today’s Mac announcements happening via “press release”).
I don’t think they need an event for this anyway. Apple Pay is a known quantity, so all they have to do is announce “now available in Canada” and give banking details via a press release. There’s also a chance they announce this during their quarterly earnings call at the end of the month.
Nice! Similarly managed to get in but it’s definitely down for the count now.
You have a email adress Gary
Yes. gary AT iphoneincanada.ca
no @
ga**@************da.ca
still waiting on BMO..
I know right. I’ve been wanting flash for a long time. I don’t think they will ever support it
It’s taken down now…. Obviously just a accident by the web admins to post a page they are currently working on. With the page in progressing showing from the link for a bit, this is all but a confirmation it’s coming.
i can still see it.
Back completely out and went back in and it loaded
link gone now
the link is now down, but it appears it will work with all of td’s credit/debit cards except for their cashback mastercard
Now what I want to know if how much Apple is getting from each Interac transaction, that will be very interesting.
I don’t know if it’s going to be the same in Canada, but in the US, banks pay Apple 0.15% of each transaction made with Apple Pay. (So for a $100 transaction, Apple gets $0.15).
Im sure Tim Cook will announce it at WSJD next week
Great point, and seems likely.
I was expecting Jennifer Bailey (head of Apple Pay at Apple) to announce it at Code/Mobile last week, but that didn’t happen.
Exciting! It’s finally happening, folks!
I suspect the Big Five will all be on board when the announcement comes.
HSBC better be in there or I’m changing banks.
Could be slight hope with HSBC supporting Apple Pay in the UK, but I suspect Canadian banks will be first.
curious about amex
Ditto
i tried all my cards just in case. nothing worked…. fingers crossed
cuz its “coming soon”
Support for canadiana cards/banks will probably be released with IOS 9.1 thats suppose to be released fairly soon
canadian**
I’m hoping that big non-Canadian FI’s will also be on board: like American Express and Capital One. (my two go-to CC’s) Since they both do Apple Pay in the US, I’d think it should be a no-brainer once it launches here. Unless, of course, the big banks get some kind of exclusivity deal for an initial period.
I really think launching in countries like the UK, Canada, Australia etc can only help bolster pickup in the US. I think outside the US, there’ll be a much greater adoption rate as we’re already used to tap payments, chip + PIN etc. Even most little mom & pop stores have the hardware to accept it right now. That can’t help but be a positive for adoption in the US, even if in a small way.
chase as well
Yeah, the more the merrier. 🙂 But Chase is really just a bit player in Canada. They essentially only offer two cards (Sears cards aside; I suspect Sears will be non-existent soon in Canada anyway). No fee Amazon, and Marriott Rewards. Both decent cards, but not a lot of penetration in the market compared to Cap1 and Amex.
true… but i do i love me my marriott rewards 😀
Chase also has the advantage of offering a zero percent foreign transaction fee on its cards, making it cheaper to use them for cross-border shopping – with the insane exchange rates these days, saving the extra 2.5% that most of the other banks and credit cards charge is a definite plus.
I got a little excited there, been waiting for something official for a year now!
that’s cause thats the page for the states, Not Canada
I just checked that seems to be the US site.
My mistake—this was for the US branch of TD.
RBC has Apple Pay FAQ section as well. looks like finally its coming to Canada
https://www.rbcbank.com/help-and-faqs/frequently-asked-questions/apple-pay-faqs/index.html
This is RBC Bank, the US branch of RBC. You can see in the top right corner the combo box to switch to the Canadian page (RBC Royal Bank).
Hopefully it will be well advertised. I’ve read in various places that Apple is not advertising it well at all.
I’m eating humble pie after critiquing the rumour this morning. Update: the pie is delicious.
Haha it’s all good 🙂
The first bank in Canada to go with Apple Pay will get my entire accounts. I am with Royal Bank right now and they said in an email to my query that it wasn’t them that were dragging their feet on this deal but that it was Apple that was holding it up. I called hogwash on them and know that it is them being greedy and unwilling to pay the tiny percentage Apple gets in the US.
Ok, did anybody else laugh at compatible ways to pay including ……
the iPad Air 2……?
Not that it would ever happen in the way that I’m about to describe, but it’s not far off from tapping your iPad Air 2 at the gas station because carrying a wallet is too cumbersome. Maybe for the small market of apple enthusiasts that are … I dunno … GIANTS.
Food for thought lol
The iPad Air 2 and other iPad models are actually fully supported by Apple Pay – not for actual mobile POS payments (they don’t even have an NFC chip), but for making payments in apps.
I knew they didn’t have an NFC chip, it’s more that the site is misleading to customers who wouldn’t know better as well.
It was a poor attempt at humour. Like how ludicrous the idea of an iPad payment would be in the same vein as people who may try to take pictures in public places using the iPad pro when it comes out lol.
any update on apple pay in canada?
Tim Cook is speaking at the WSJD Live event and just like with iOS 8.1 that brought Apple Pay to the US, iOS 9.1 is coming in November and it will most likely bring Apple Pay to Canada.
I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much. But anyway, I know I’ll be disappointed if nothing gets announced tonight.
Whelp, there goes WSJD. Next occasion we expect an announcement? Earning Release? Any other guesses?
Could be hinted at in the earnings release, or could just be a quiet press release or less even. The U.K. got a bit more as it was the second country – first expansion beyond the U.S. – and WWDC was a convenient time to break the news. There’s really no requirement for there to be an announcement however, and as it rolls out to more countries it will become less and less of a big deal.
I agree, no need for an announcement but it is still fairly new. I don’t see it being just a press release.
On another note, if the Apple TV is shipping next week, that likely means we will also have iOS 9.1 released around the same time. Chances are 9.1 adds support for Canadian Apple Pay?
Well, the Apple TV wouldn’t require iOS 9.1, as it runs tvOS (nice to see Apple finally branching the Apple TV OS more clearly into its own distinct entity), but of course the iPad Pro most likely will be released with iOS 9.1 and is coming not long after.
I’m pretty sure Apple doesn’t technically require an iOS update to add Apple Pay for another country – remember that iOS 8.1 added Apple Pay functionality in the first place – it wasn’t really there at all in 8.0. Since then, however, Apple Pay has worked fine in Canada with U.S. banks (I’ve been using it since March), and Apple has added other U.S. and U.K. banks over the past few months without having to update iOS. These primarily appear to be done as back-end updates on Apple’s Apple Pay servers. Of course, an iOS update would ensure that any bugs that might be encountered can be properly addressed, as well as giving them a good way to turn it into more of an announcement than a mere press release.
I think sometimes we overestimate how relevant we are to Apple (and other U.S. tech companies) up here. I’m not sure I remember Apple ever making a big deal about releasing anything in Canada, at least not beyond Canada simply being on a list of several additional countries where something new was being made available. Press releases were issued by Apple for Canada when the iTunes Store hit in 2004, TV Shows came to it in 2007, Movies in 2008, and when Rogers debuted the iPhone in 2008, but I think the only one of those that ever warranted even a mention at an announcement was when the iTunes Music Store came to Canada, and I’m not even certain about that, as the deals weren’t necessarily struck in time for the fall 2004 iPod event.
If we don’t hear anything by the end of November, I’m switching back to a BlackBerry Pearl. #applepayorbust
what really boils my blood was the fact i paid $800 for a stainless steel apple watch and was hoping for apple pay as well as for all the other features and all i can do with it at the moment is buy coffee at starbucks with my starbucks card. FML!!
Yeah that major feature is missing and it can’t come soon enough.
That is if your phone’s region is set to US, otherwise the option to add cards just isn’t there (whether cards from your country are compatible or not). For a phone with a Canadian setup, a minor system update will likely be required to simply enable the option for the users to add their cards.
Actually, you only need to switch your iPhone to the U.S. to setup your first card in Apple Pay. Once you’ve added at least one card, you can switch your region back to Canada and use it in the same way as you would in the U.S., and even add new cards (just not Canadian ones, yet 🙂 ).
In fact, it also even recognizes currency differences properly. Leave your region set to the U.S., and transactions will show up with a “CA$” prefix, but switch it back to Canada, and the prefix is dropped for local currency.
Although I hear what you’re saying about changing the regional restriction, it ultimately could just as easily be something controlled from Apple’s back-end servers. We’ve been seeing that for years with things like iTunes and iCloud features, and even the “Nearby” feature in Maps – a lot of things can appear and disappear based on whatever the iPhone reads from the mothership. I suspect the same is true for the News app as well – it will probably magically become available in other countries when it’s ready to go without requiring an iOS app update. Keep in mind it was supposed to launch in the U.K. and Australia with iOS 9, but that was pulled at the last minute.
Thanks for the info! I wasn’t aware you could switch the phone back to Canada, and keep your cards in Wallet.
When i upgraded to 9.1 the first thing that it asked was if i wanted to put in a card for apple pay…… i have my phone set to USA. it still wouldn’t allow the cards.
i think i had a heart attack when it happened. 😉
Haha, yeah, I can see that. I wouldn’t be surprised if iOS 9.1 provides any changes that are needed to support Apple Pay for the Canadian banks (if any changes are necessary – I can see there being small things that need to be tweaked), but I don’t imagine Canadian Apple Pay support would go live before there was an announcement from Apple and/or the banks themselves. Very few things sneak by with Apple.
That said, now that iOS 9.1 is out, I’m even more optimistic that it’s coming “real soon now” 🙂
I would like the banks to just come out a say they won’t support apple pay so we can move on instead of this BS. I don’t care if they decide not do but it would be nice to know whether they will or will not, and if they do maybe give the canadians that invest their money in their banks a time frame or update to whether its a service they want and will launch for support.
These SIM NFC companies are BS, and have even fewer customers then the amount of iPhone users who will have the capability of apple pay once it launches. By this time next year a large percentage of iPhone users will most likely be using a iPhone 6 or greater all with the apple pay capability.
LIke I’ve said several comments previously. 1st Canadian bank that supports ApplePay gets all my business period. Its been far to long a wait as the accountants try and figure out whether to pay Apple their deserved royalty for creating the most secure payment method available.
Well, they do have applepay.us and applepay.co.uk registered, and probably others. The applepay.com domain appears to be registered to somebody else (all-in-1.com, since 2002, it would appear), so maybe Apple just didn’t feel the need to pay for that one just yet, as they clearly haven’t launched anything using the other ones either. Maybe they’re just proactively securing them.
That is what is interisting.
They have these other domains where apple pay is available but no website hosted on them. But the TD Website said, there will be a website at applepay.
Makes you wonder why they are doing it differently? Or if in Canada, something will work differently.
I’ve been at a few appointments at the Apple Stores around the GTA in the past 2 weeks and on the in-store iPads the staff use there’s an icon and it says Apple Pay. I asked one of them what it meant and he said its the demos for Apple Pay they recently pushed to their devices. For showing customers how to use the service so it’s coming soon :)!
Thanks for getting us in the loop. Nice find.
You able to send us picture the next time you’re there? ga**@************da.ca thx 🙂
Some Whole Foods Locations in Ontario in Apple Maps show the Apple Pay logo 😀
Here is Oakville, and one of them in Markham has the logo too.
That’s actually been showing up in certain places for a while – even the first iOS 9.0 betas had it appearing for one of the Shoppers Drug Mart’s in my neighbourhood back in July.
At first I thought maybe Apple was just crowdsourcing data based on where Apple Pay was being used (I use it at that Shoppers all the time), but I’ve never seen it appear on any of the other stores where I’ve used it regularly, like the local LCBO. Then again, it might still be a critical mass thing — either requires multiple people using Apple Pay at the location, or a lot more frequent transactions than I typically do at other places.
Woooooo! Apple Pay is coming to Canada only for Amex customers.
Atleast this will push the banks a little bit
“https://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/electronic-banking/applepay.jsp”
now goes to “https://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/electronic-banking/index.jsp” instead of the td error page