Hot on the heels of launching Apple Pay in France this week, Apple on Tuesday also activated their mobile payment service for consumers in Hong Kong, with support for MasterCard, Visa, and American Express cards.
Announced via the Hong Kong Apple website, the country is the ninth major market to receive Apple Pay services after France, in which Apple launched on Tuesday.
At the outset, users in Hong Kong can add their MasterCard and Visa credit cards offered through the Bank of China, DBS, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC, and Standard Chartered. American Express also supports integration with its own cards. Apple’s website says the firm will add compatibility with BEA and HKT touchless payment system Tap & Go in future.
Announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Hong Kong also has a huge selection of retailers participating from launch. Apple notes support from forty chains including its own Apple Store shops, as well as ten apps that support in-app purchases via Apple Pay. Hong Kong has a very mature NFC point of sale terminal network, with close integration with payments processing, which means Apple Pay is also supported at many smaller brick and mortar stores not mentioned on the firm’s website.
The Hong Kong launch came just hours after the service debuted in France, and two weeks after launching in Switzerland.
SOURCE: AppleInsider.
Larry Banks is a keen follower of technology and finance. He has worked for a variety of online publications, writing about a diverse range of topics including mobile networks, patents, and Internet video delivery technologies.
