American Express announced this week it will be partnering with Apple to release Apple Pay, Apple's mobile wallet, in Canada and other "key global markets."
"With our global reach, we are able to bring Apple Pay to Card Members quickly in these important countries," Tony Prentice, American Express' Vice President for Mobile Products and Payments, said. "We believe it is critical to be on the forefront of seamless and innovative payment solutions for our Card Members and we are pleased to be able to deliver on that with Apple Pay."
It launched in the U.S. in the fall of 2014 and last July in the U.K., but expansion to other markets has been slow. Negotiations with the Canadian banks stalled over fees and security issues, the Toronto Star reports.
Apple Pay will only be available for Canadians with an Amex card. Cardholders can only use Apple Pay at retailers that accept American Express and are equipped with terminals that accept contactless payment. (You can find a list of retailers that accept Amex cards here.)
The Bank of Nova Scotia is the only Canadian bank to offer American Express cards.
Visa and MasterCard cards outnumber American Express cards by about 18 to 1 in Canada, according to The Globe and Mail.
"Our customers love their experience with Apple Pay and we want to bring it to as many of our users worldwide as possible," Jennifer Bailey, Vice President of Apple Pay said. "With a global issuer like American Express, we are thrilled to seamlessly bring our easy, secure and private way to pay to more customers internationally."
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