Singaporeans who own an Apple smartphone, tablet or watch will now have an easier way of making payments – if they so choose – as Apple Pay has finally arrived in the country.
On April 18, Apple launched the mobile payment service in Singapore, making it the second Asian country (after China) to benefit from Apple Pay.
"Starting today, Apple Pay is available for eligible American Express issued credit cards in Singapore, so customers can now pay in an easy, secure, and more private way," revealed Jennifer Bailey, Apple Pay VP.
Apple Pay is already available for people residing in the UK, U.S., China, Australia and Canada. Apple is also anticipated to bring the mobile payment service to Hong Kong, Brazil and Japan sometime in 2016, according to a MasterCard roadmap that leaked earlier this year. However, an exact time window is not yet known.
Compatible Cards
Like in other countries where Apple Pay has launched, Apple has initially only partnered with one bank in Singapore, that is, American Express (AMEX). Apple, however, asserts that even though Singaporeans will only be able to deploy AMEX cards to make a payment via Apple Pay initially, it will soon bring support for debit and credit cards from other banks such as UOB, Standard Chartered and DBS and VISA. When will this support be made available you quiz? In the "coming months," says Apple.
Compatible Apple Devices
Singapore residents will be able to use Apple Pay via their iPad, iPhone or Apple Watch, which are all compatible with the service.
iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE users can deploy Apple Pay directly in stores. Apple Watch users can also use Apple Pay with these smartphones or with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s.
The iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 and iPhone SE have the Apple Pay within apps available. Apple Pay within apps is also available for the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3 and iPad Pro (both models).
Supported Retail Locations
The Apple Singapore website lists the following locations:
Starbucks
FairPrice
TopShop
TopMan
Uniqlo
StarHub
Shaw Theaters
G2000
FairPrice Finest
FairPrice Xtra
The service will also be supported in many stores that boast NFC-equipped payment terminals. Apple Pay is slated to take on board more partners such as FoodRepublic, BreadTalk, Giant, 7 Eleven, iStudio, Guardian, Sheng Sion, Cold Storage and more in the near term.
How To Add Your Card
AMEX debit or credit card users can add their card to the Wallet app. To do so, open the app and tap on the "+" button. Alternately, one can head to Settings and select the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option.
It's worth mentioning that both HomeAway Asia and Uber will also have Apple Pay available within apps soon in Singapore.
