Apple Pay Is Now Live In Taiwan

Apple Pay is now available in Taiwan, making it the 14^th market in which Apple’s payment app is available.

According to a report in The China Post, Apple had announced plans to offer its payment app in Taiwan in Feb. of 2017 and made it official on Wednesday (March 29). The report noted Apple did not officially announce the launch of the payment service in Taiwan but that an unnamed bank representative working with Apple Pay received notification that the service had launched.

The newspaper mentioned that seven banks in Taiwan, including Taishin International Bank, Taipei Fubon Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Cathay United Bank, CTBC Bank, E.SUN Commercial Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan signed up to allow their cards to be used via Apple Pay. Apple users with an iPhone 6 or any newer iPhone model are able to scan their cards from any of the banks and pay at select stores that have contactless point-of-sale systems.

The news about Apple Pay in Taiwan comes at a time when the payment method is also gaining traction stateside. Earlier this month, U.S. Bank announced it will enable its corporate customers to use their commercial cards via the mobile Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay solutions.

According to the bank, this makes it the first to support mobile payments for Visa commercial card transactions. U.S. Bank said the move is part of its broader efforts to make corporate travel payments more efficient.

“Business travelers are increasingly expecting the same convenience and security in their business transactions as they experience with their personal transactions,” said U.S. Bank Corporate Payment Systems President Jeff Jones in a statement. “Consumer use of mobile payments is growing every day. Launching a corresponding capability for business travelers is the next logical step.”