Apple Pay Now In Australia, For Some

As expected Apple Pay has now officially launched in Australia, but only for some because here, Apple has teamed up with American Express and the online payments provider eWAY.

To use the system, first consumers will need an American Express card – direct from Amex, not from a bank who re brands the Amex card.  Then consumers will need an Apple device with fingerprint recognition, or an Apple watch.

Assuming the default payment details in the consumers iTunes account is an Amex, or by using the iPhone camera to take a photograph of the Amex card, Apple Pay can be set up.

In store, the device can then pay wave, using the id confirmation built into the phone, or consumers can purchase via an app, using the Touch ID, simplifying the purchase process.

The merchant end is handled by eWAY. According to the web site:

Apple Pay will be available to all eWAY merchants when it is launched in Australia.  All eWAY accounts come ready with American Express, so you’ll need to check you’ve selected American Express in MyeWAY.   The two ways to accept Apple Pay are in-person or in-app.if you’re an eWAY merchant with an app, your eWAY account will allow your customers to check out with a single touch using Apple Pay. Checkout is simple and there is no need to manually fill out lengthy account forms or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information.

Customers love shopping in-app, and if you already have an app ready or you’re wanting to develop one and take Apple Pay, you’re on your way to massive sales.

Make your checkout simple with Apple Pay
Your customers won’t need to retype shipping or billing information
Increase conversions with faster checkout
Credit card details are kept private and not shared with the merchant for security
Make your app more innovative and seamless

Shopping in apps with Apple Pay can be as simple as the touch of a finger, so iPhone and iPad® users can pay for physical goods and services, including clothing, electronics, beauty products, tickets and more.

In Australia, Apple Pay users will receive all the benefits of protecting personal information, transaction data, and credit and debit card information with the industry-leading security Apple Pay brings. The actual numbers of the credit card are not stored on the device. To protect you, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on the Apple device, and each transaction is authorised with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

As the merchant, you don’t receive your customer’s actual credit or debit card numbers, so you aren’t handling actual credit or debit card numbers in your systems when they pay with Apple Pay.