Apple is launching its ‘Tap to Pay on iPhone’ contactless payment system in Canada. Businesses can accept payments from credit and debit cards on iPhones securely and supported partner-enabled iOS apps.
Starting today, Tap to Pay on iPhone is now being supported across Canada. Millions of businesses can begin using iPhones to accept in-person, contactless payments. Tap to Pay on iPhone streamlines the process of accepting a payment via debit or a credit card of any size. Apple Pay and other supported digital wallets can also be used while paying with an iPhone and supported iOS app. Businesses can accept payments with no additional payment terminal or hardware to worry about.
At launch, Tap to Pay on iPhone will support Adyen, Moneris, Stripe, and Square in Canada. As this is the first wave, more partners are expected to come on board in the near future. Apple states that “in the coming months,” Aurus; Chase Payment Solutions, a part of J.P. Morgan Payments; Fiserv; and Helcim will enable Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone will also be available at retailers such as Sephora, Apple confirms.
“Canadians increasingly rely on a variety of digital and contactless payment options, so we’re excited to partner with payment platforms to offer merchants across Canada a private, secure, and easy-to-use capability that meets customers where they are,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “We’ve seen how merchants and customers around the world appreciate the versatility of Tap to Pay on iPhone, and in a region as diverse as Canada’s, we look forward to making it easy for businesses of any size to transact from coast to coast with just an iPhone.”
Tap to Pay on iPhone first launched in the U.S. in 2022. It supports contactless credit and debit cards across payment networks such as American Express, Interac, Mastercard, and Visa. To use the feature, retailers must use a supported iOS app on an iPhone Xs or later. The device must also be running the latest version of iOS.
To accept a payment, retailers can prompt the customer to hold their contactless credit or debit card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or other digital wallet near the retailer’s iPhone. The payment will then be processed securely using NFC technology.
Apple also notes that payment data is processed the same way as Apple Pay. All transactions are encrypted and processed using ‘Secure Element.’ At no point during the payment process does Apple know what is being purchased and by who, the company states.
For more information, retailers can check out Apple’s small business website.
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A merchant is going to get rid of their POS chip reader for tapping an iPhone instead?
It won’t replace the chip and pin terminals, but for smaller merchants just take tap or cash, this is all they’ll need. Farmers markets and buskers, flea markets, food trucks, hotdog carts. This makes it pretty easy to start accepting card payments for any that were otherwise cash only.
Will this work with the iPad?
This could be more affordable than the current offering.
No iPad has NFC which is needed for tapping, so no.