Apple Pay Launch in Australia Nov. 19; UK Gets Tesco and TSB Support

The wait is over: Apple Pay has finally arrived in Canada, although it is currently limited to Amex customers. Anyway, iPhone owners who signed up for an Amex card are able to use their devices to pay at certain locations, starting today.

Tim Cook promised to bring Apple Pay to Australia as well before the end of the year, and it is happening now: November 19 is the launch date of the company’s mobile payment platform. As a result, Apple Pay is slowly expanding to four countries more than a year after its initial launch.

Choosing American Express as the launch partner in Canada and Australia has been the topic of hot discussion and speculation lately. Although it limits the platform’s user base, it was a technical decision, Apple’s vice president for Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey suggested today in an interview with the Associated Press: in Canada and Australia, Amex is both the card issuer and network coordinator.

As for iPhone owners in the UK, Apple has great news: two Tesco and TSB banks have joined the company, so they can link their cards to Apple Pay. Now it remains to be seen how much time it will take for Canada’s big six banks to join Apple’s mobile payment platform.