Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in Canada

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Apple on Thursday launched Tap to Pay on iPhone in Canada, empowering millions of merchants to use iPhone to seamlessly and securely accept in-person, contactless payments. Tap to Pay on iPhone makes it easy for businesses of any size to accept payments from contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets using only their iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal required.

Payment platforms and developers can integrate Tap to Pay on iPhone into their iOS apps, making it easy for merchants to enable this secure and convenient capability. Starting today, Adyen, Moneris, Stripe, and Square are the first payment platforms in Canada to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone. 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 for customers in Canada. Tap to Pay on iPhone will also be available at merchants such as Sephora, as well as Apple Store locations across the country later this year. Tap to Pay on iPhone works with contactless credit and debit cards from leading payment networks, including American Express, Interac, Mastercard, and Visa.

“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, in a statement. “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.”

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, merchants can unlock contactless payment acceptance through a supporting iOS app on an iPhone Xs or later running the latest iOS version. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless credit or debit card, iPhone, or Apple Watch, or other digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology.2 No additional hardware is needed, so merchants can accept payments from wherever they do business. Contactless payments such as Apple Pay are already accepted at more than 90 percent of Canadian retailers, and with this new capability, virtually every business, big or small, can use Tap to Pay on iPhone at checkout.
Privacy is fundamental in the design and development across all of Apple’s payment features. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, customers’ payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure. All transactions made using Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using the Secure Element, and as with Apple Pay, Apple doesn’t know what is being purchased or who is buying it.

“A focus on innovation and the customer journey is central to Sephora’s business, and delivering Tap to Pay on iPhone is another example of how Sephora is continuing to offer an elevated experience to our consumers,” said Stefan Jensen, Sephora’s vice president treasurer, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to soon expand Tap to Pay on iPhone to our Canadian market after introducing it to our stores in the U.S. last year and seeing how the beauty community has embraced this new way to pay. Today, our Beauty Advisors use their iPhone to provide shoppers with curated beauty recommendations, and thanks to this new flexible payment acceptance solution, they will soon be able to seamlessly complete contactless transactions on that same iPhone — wherever they are in the store.”

Apple’s hardware, software, and services empower Canadian businesses of all sizes to manage their operations and connect directly with customers. At Apple Store locations, business owners can connect with Small Business Experts for advice and expertise, as well as flexible pricing and financing options.