APPLE PAY: CEO Tim Cook announces further support for Apple’s NFC payments offering

Apple customers in the US will be able to use their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to make Apple Pay mobile payments from Monday 20 October, CEO Tim Cook has announced, and 500 banks have now signed up to offer the service to their customers. Owners of the new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 will also be able to use Apple Pay for in-app purchases.

Several additional US merchant chains have signed up to accept Apple Pay in stores, Cook said, including Footaction, BJ’s, Petsmart, ExtraMile, Sports Authority, Aeropostale, Anthropologie, Free People, Foot Locker, Texaco, Radioshack, Chevron, Champs, Urban Outfitters, Office Depot, American Eagle Outfitters, Six:02, Unleashed and Wegmans.

A wide range of additional merchants and app developers have also announced they will be integrating Apple Pay into their apps, he added, including Airbnb, Houzz, Hotel Tonight, Jackthreads, Levi’s Stadium, Spring, Chairish, StubHub, Lyft and Eventbrite.

“We think that the impact of Apple Pay will be profound,” Cook said. “We’re getting going in the United States. We’ve got all four of the major networks supporting us and we have all of the nation’s top banks supporting us and, just since last month announcing this, we have signed another five hundred banks.

“They will be rolling out support later this year and early next year, showing the support and enthusiasm around Apple Pay. We’ve got many of the largest retailers in the country supporting us and, as you might guess, since we announced last month there’s even more that will be rolling out between now and the end of the year.”

“We believe Apple Pay is going to be huge,” he explained. “It’s going to change the way we pay for things and I’m excited to announce today that we are beginning on Monday. The journey begins and we can’t wait.”

Cook also announced that Apple will be rolling out a developer kit for its forthcoming Apple Watch, which includes a biosensor security function that replaces the need for Touch ID, from next month.

Both the new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 will include a Touch ID sensor, Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP for worldwide marketing, announced. “Perhaps the most requested feature from customers is TouchID,” he explained.

“Now, with iPad Air 2, there is TouchID and it reads your fingerprint and quickly unlocks your iPad without having to enter a passcode and it works with our stores so you can purchase in the iTunes store, in the App store, and it works with the new iOS 8 developer apps that support TouchID so you can unlock Evernote or Mint or your Day One journal just with your fingerprint.

“And now, with TouchID, you’ll be able to use Apple Pay to make online purchases. This isn’t for retail point-of-sale purchases; this is for online purchasing within all the apps that are going to support Apple Pay.”

“It’s going to be the best way to shop online,” Schiller asserted.