Earlier in the year, speculations filled the internet that Apple Pay would likely be launched in South Africa later in the year.
As expected, Apple Pay is now being rolled out for users in the country. The service is currently being activated for customers of a select number of banks.
So far, customers of some South African banks have been prompted to add their cards to Apple Pay’s Wallet app.
Customers from Nedbank, Absa and Discovery Bank were on Tuesday morning able to load their bank cards into their Apple wallets.
Other local banks, such as FNB, are reportedly working to bring Apple Pay support to their own customers.
Chipo Mushwana, Nedbank’s chief of emerging payments, said that:
“As the affinity for digital payments grows in the South African market, we strive to ensure that we continue to provide our clients with the most recent and in-demand contactless payment solutions.”
Customers took to Twitter to report seeing prompts to add their cards to Apple Pay.
Following this development, South Africa becomes the first country on the continent to get Apple Pay support.
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The contactless payment systems grew in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, globally.
Alongside Apple Pay services, South African users also have access to Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, and Garmin Pay — all of which launched in 2018.
To add a card to Apple Pay, customers should:
- Open the Wallet app.
- Tap the plus button, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
It is noteworthy to add that banks must first add support for Apple Pay before customer can access the service. Adding an unsupported bank card will result in a pop-up reading:
“Your issuer does not yet offer support for this card.”
At the time of filing this report, Apple’s South African website has not yet been updated to reflect Apple Pay’s rollout in the country.
Apple first launched Apple Pay in 2014 in the United States, and in the years since, it’s slowly expanded to more countries around the world. Last month, Apple Pay services was launched in Mexico.