Apple has announced the launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia, allowing independent sellers, small merchants, and large retailers in the country to use iPhones as a payment terminal.
Introduced in February 2022, the feature allows compatible iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone – no additional hardware or credit card machine is required.
Tap to Pay on iPhone uses NFC technology to securely authenticate the contactless payments, plus the feature also supports PIN entry, which includes accessibility options.
“Australia is a nation of entrepreneurs and innovators, and small and medium-sized businesses are at the heart of the country’s workforce, employing millions of Australians. Now, with Tap to Pay on iPhone it’s easier than ever for businesses of any size to seamlessly accept contactless payments using only their iPhone, wherever they do business,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “The convenience of Tap to Pay on iPhone empowers Australian businesses to offer easy, secure, and private contactless payment experiences to their customers, and help them run and grow their business.”
Westpac and Tyro Payments are the initial payment platforms in Australia supporting Tap to Pay for their business customers. Apple says that additional payment platforms and apps, including ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions, Stripe, Till Payments, and Zeller, will make this secure and convenient capability available in the coming months.
Tap to Pay on iPhone requires iPhone XS or newer models, and works for customers as any normal Apple Pay transaction would. Sellers just need to open up the app, register the sale, and present their iPhone to the buyer, who can then use an appropriate contactless payment method.
Tap to Pay on iPhone is available to over 700,000 additional businesses across the United States, and Apple Stores in the U.S. have also rolled out the feature. Australia is the third region to support Tap to Pay, following a similar rollout in Taiwan last month.