Now you can use Apple Pay in Ireland – just swipe your iPhone
iPhone owners in Ireland rejoice – you can now get on board with Apple Pay and just swipe your phone (or Apple Watch) to make a purchase.
The tech giant has launched the payment service in its sixth market in Europe, supporting Irish banking customers with Ulster Bank and KBC as well as Boon, an app and pre-paid card from German fintech Wirecard.
People in Ireland can also use Apple Pay to buy items online and within apps, in addition to swiping their phone at contactless registers.
Read more: Watch out PayPal: Now you can use Apple Pay online
Shops accepting Apple Pay include Aldi, Boots, Burger King, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, Applegreen and Dunnes, and thousands of other retailers. Apps such as Uber, Deliveroo and easyJet are also integrated.
It brings the total number of countries where Apple Pay can be used to 14 globally since it was first launched in the US n 2014 and the UK in 2015.
Apple must partner with banks in each country to support its use, with deals often taking some time. In Australia, for instance, several of the biggest banks have pushed back on Apple's introduction of Pay in the country, complaining to the competition watchdog. They argue that access to the technology in the iPhone used for payment is restricted to Apple Pay, limiting consumer choice, leaving them unable to compete with their own digital wallets.