A reported launch roadmap from MasterCard seems to indicate that Apple Pay will be heading to Japan, Brazil, Hong Kong and Singapore by the end of 2016. The purported roadmap, which was leaked by 9to5Mac, also indicates that Apple Pay may add support for MasterCard in Canada before the end of 2016 as well. Apple Pay in Canada currently only supports American Express cards.
If the launch roadmap is to be believed, 2016 could be a big year for Apple Pay's expansion. The mobile payments platform already made its debut in China earlier in February, and France is also rumored to see a rollout this year.
Reader comments
Apple Pay reportedly headed to Brazil, Japan and more in 2016
I like how all the tech sites are in lock step in pretending that ApplePay "while limited, is already available in Canada" (or words to that effect).
Talking about ApplePay being available in a country when *none* of that countries banks, financial institutions or retail locations support it is complete nonsense. The only reason it's being sold this way is that the tech sites all have an iron in the fire in terms of it being in their interests to make Apple and ApplePay look good.
Apple Pay was supposed to come to Canada in "early" 2015. It's now early 2016. It's still not here. We will be lucky if it arrives in time for iPhone 7.
That Apple Pay rollout is disappointingly slow. Meanwhile, other useless prepaid payment services are taking over here in Switzerland. At least NFC credit cards are now the standard everywhere.
Finally. In Brazil almost all card machine have the wireless payment symbol. But no vendors use it. Most people don't even know what it is. The most difficult part will be educating people on how to use it, I believe.
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Same here in India. A barista at Starbucks accused me of hacking and nearly called the police when I used my NFC card at a terminal. Good thing is that I now frequently get free coffee :D
"Japa, Brazil, Honking" ... The typos, oh the typos :(
INDIA!