Apple Pay, the wireless digital payment service that lets you store cards and make payments via your iPhone is further expanding its scope geographically. This fall, the service will arrive in three more countries namely Japan, New Zealand and Russia.
But, the key focus of the announcement was the introduction of Apple Pay in Japan, and we had a detailed discussion about the same on stage. With the release of the new iPhone 7 lineup and the Apple Watch 2, Japan will get its own iteration of Pay based around Sony’s FeliCa NFC contactless technology. The same technology is currently being used every day for more than 160 million transactions across the country.
Using FeliCa-based Apple Pay in exclusive iterations of newly released iPhones, the Japanese populous will be able to pay for everything in their daily routines. This includes making convenient credit and prepaid card purchases in stores, apps and on the web with a single touch.
Prior to this official release, we had spotted reports detailing plans of the roll out of the payment technology in Japan, to allow users to commute using the transit system without effort. And Apple has today confirmed the news today by introducing support for transit in Japan with Maps in iOS 10. The company has partnered with Suica to show correct prices alongside ride details, and fare breakdowns to commuters. Users will be able to commute and pay for everyday items with Suica from JR East, and make everyday purchases as well.
In addition to the transit system, users in Japan will also be able to make purchases in convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Family Mart, Lawson, Ministop and Sunkus. You can also visit your nearest supermarkets, gas stations, retailers and favorite local brands to pay via your iPhone or Watch 2.
Apple Pay will support many of the most popular Japanese credit and prepaid cards issued by AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, NTT Docomo, Softbank and many others. It will also continue to support major global and domestic networks like American Express, Mastercard, JCB, iD and QUICPay. And you will also receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by their cards.
We are incredibly excited to bring iPhone 7 to customers in Japan so they can experience the magic of Apple Pay. Apple Pay will transform your daily routine, from making your commute easier and more convenient than ever with Suica right on your iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, to using your favorite cards to make secure and private purchases with a single touch,
said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the keynote event.
When you use a credit or prepaid card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on the company servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned and securely stored on your device. Starting next month, you will also be able to pay for online transactions using Apple Pay on the Mac.
