Abdul Basit
Dubai – Finally, Apple Pay has arrived in the UAE as the Cupertino-based tech giant announced the launch of its mobile payment system in the country on Tuesday, allowing iPhone users to pay with their phones.
The UAE becomes the first country in the Middle East where Apple Pay has been launched. Apple Pay was launched globally on October 20, 2014 with six partner banks in the US. Currently, it is available in 20 countries worldwide.
The digital wallet is now ready to use on devices running iOS 11 and works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and later – Apple Watch.
While Apple Pay will be supported by UAE credit and debit cards from MasterCard and Visa, the following banks are currently accepting it – Emirates NBD, Mashreq, HSBC, RAKBANK, Standard Chartered and Emirates Islamic.
In terms of merchants, Apple said that “tens of thousands of locations” are accepting Apple Pay at launch.
Some of them include: Apple Store, Virgin Megastore, Caffe Nero, Marks & Spenser, Sharaf DG, Homecenter, Waitrose, Spinneys, GAP, Armani, La Serre, Bloomingdales and Harvey Nichols.
The iOS apps accepting Apple Pay at launch include Ounass, Namshi and Babyshop.
Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, on Tuesday brings its UAE-based cardholders Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient.
Commenting on the announcement, Nathan Cushnie, Visa Head of Digital Solutions for Middle East and North Africa, said: “In a country filled with tech-savvy, mobile-first consumers, we are excited to help bring Apple Pay for Visa cardholders making their payments experience easier, faster and more secure than ever before. With nearly one third of UAE residents already making purchases via their smartphones several times a month, Apple Pay launches at an opportune time for Visa cardholders, offering them a secure and seamless payment experience.”
Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the region, on Tuesday also said it brings to their over a million customers Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that is fast and convenient.
Commenting on the announcement, Suvo Sarkar, Senior EVP & Group Head – Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD said: “The introduction of Apple Pay is a key milestone in the ongoing expansion of our digital payment services suite, helping customers make payments in an easier and a more secure manner, and one that we believe will also drive faster adoption of contactless payments in the UAE.”
HSBC also brings its UAE customers Apple Pay, a new, fast and secure way for customers to do everyday shopping. Apple Pay is transforming mobile payments with an easy and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient.
Matt Colebrook, Regional Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, MENA & Turkey at HSBC said, “As digitisation gains ground and customers demand speed and convenience in banking, HSBC continues to support these needs by bringing new technologies and solutions. Approximately 60 per cent of our customers use an iOS device and will be thrilled to have Apple Pay for their everyday payment needs.”
Shehzad Hameed, Head of Retail Banking, Standard Chartered UAE, commented: “The launch of Apple Pay is a milestone in our commitment to transforming our clients’ banking experience and make payments simple, secure and fast! It is in line with our retail transformation agenda and a part of the Bank’s aspiration to continuously lead in providing cutting edge technology to become the preferred bank for our clients.
“Offering our clients Apple Pay reaffirms the Bank’s commitment to the UAE’s digital agenda, and allows us to continue playing a key role in supporting the UAE’s national innovation strategy which aims to make the Emirates the most innovative nation in the world by 2021,” he added.
How do I use Apple Pay?
First, add your credit, debit, or prepaid card to the Wallet. You will have to add your cards to any device that you want to use with Apple Pay. Once verified by the bank, the details will be stored in your device. From a security perspective, when you use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique device account number is assigned, encrypted and stored in the ‘Secure Element’ on your device. Each transaction is authorised with a one-time security code.
To make a purchase at a store, hold your phone near the retailer’s contactless payment terminal, which will scan your details. You will then be asked to enter your touch ID or your passcode to complete the transaction. You will also be able to use your Apple Watch to make the purchase.
For online purchases, you can select the ‘Buy with Apple Pay’ option, or choose Apple Pay as the payment method. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com
